The Halloween Spell
by WraithRune
Summary: After Halloween night, Ethan was captured by the N.I.D who forced him to create a permanent Halloween spell. With the world's fate in his hands, Ethan did the right thing for once in his life, and the world will never be the same again.
1. Chapter 1

**Story Title: The Halloween Spell**

**Crossover:** Multiple

**Author:** Wraithrune

**Disclaimer:** This is a crossover fanfiction. The rights for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Star Wars, Andromeda, Master of Orion II, Space Empires V, Dungeons and Dragons, Stargate, Supreme Commander, Final Fantasy Tactics, Heroes of Might and Magic series, Green Lanterns and Superman belongs to their respective owners. I am just a fan dabbling in creating an alternate playground for their existance.

**Summary:** After Halloween night, Ethan was captured by the N.I.D who forced him to create a permanent Halloween spell which they can exploit. With the world's fate in his hands, Ethan did the right thing for once in his life, and the world will never be the same again.

**Author's Note:** As with all TV shows, there are some parts of the canon plots that did not make such common sense. For instance, it has been shown that the Halloween spell caused physical and lingering changes to the victims of the spell during the time when it was in effect. Why then did no one else made use of this? Instead, after serving as a convenient plot device, it was chucked out of the window and never touched on again. This is my version of a darker world, where the rogue governments of the world are not blinded to the potential of the spell's continued uses.

**Chapter One: One last gift**

Ethan grimaced at his bruised ribs. It had been two weeks since he went to Sunnydale to cast a Halloween spell that turned everyone into who they dressed as, and the bruise his old friend Rupert Giles had given him had still not completely healed. Who would have known that Rupert would have turned into such a stuffy old bat that had forgotten the word 'fun'.

A knock at his motel door caused Ethan to snap out of his musing as he got up to see who it is. He opened it to see two men wearing dark glasses and black suits.

"Who is it? If you're selling something, I don't want…" Ethan never got a chance to finish as one of the men took out a syringe and stuck it into his arm. The other clapped his hands over Ethan's mouth to stop him from screaming as he restrained the shocked chaos mage.

The last thing Ethan heard was the man who had injected him speaking into his ear piece.

"Target acquired." The man said as Ethan fell unconscious, and his hell on Earth began…

* * *

_1 year later…_

The spell was already completed. All those intense experiments, all those tortures to force him to do their bidding, had fine tuned Ethan's Halloween spell into a spell that would have permanent effects when it was cast. Of course the men holding him prisoner did not know that yet.

Ethan was deliberately miscasting certain parts of the spell, deliberately making all his experiments fail. His actions had dire consequences as the homeless people that these bastards had brought to him to use as victims of the spells, were either driven mad or in a vegetative state after another failed spell casting. For the Halloween spell that these men had fine-tuned was a drastically powered up version of the original. It was lucky for Ethan that none of them were spell casters, and that only a very powerful chaos mage, like him could cast the spell.

All of the experimental subjects had an in built bomb installed in them to prepare for the eventuality that they might be powered up in case the spell was successful. The overseeing agent would trigger the bomb, thus blowing up the test subject to prevent any unpredictable elements in their plan. Thus far, they did not have to use it, because as far as his guards knew, the spell was far from completion.

124, driven insane by the experiments, 50 in vegetative states, Ethan Rayne remembered all of their faces, it was the least he could do for them. But he would not allow this group of people to get their hands on the completed spell. Oh yes, he had overheard who they worked for. Some rogue American military bunch called the N.I.D with the Watcher's Council providing support in the background in return for a substantial fee. Ethan chuckled dryly through bloodied lips, he wondered what Rupert would feel when he learnt of this. He had been keeping track of Rupert for the past few years after he turned into a goody two shoes and Ethan knew that Rupert would be enraged at the Watcher's Council under table dealings.

Ethan might be a chaos mage, but even he had his own morals. He was most certainly not going to help some rogue military faction and the Watcher's Council take over the world with his completed spell. Ethan knew that once they got what they want, they would kill him, and the world would suffer because of it. A spell that could turn fictional objects real? Grant a person memories and powers of a superhero? No one would be able to stop them once it happens. It was just too bad that his jailers kept such a tight watch on him that he could not use the completed Halloween spell on himself.

Somehow, Ethan knew that he had to endure the torture, at least until he could find some way to escape the facility and seek help. He had no friends in America, except for Rupert. And he knew that the stuffy watcher would help him once he knew of this.

If only he could find a way out of his restraints…

* * *

_1 week later…_

"Team 1 has spotted the escapee coming your way. It seems like he has been hiding in one of the old warehouse casting some spells. Unable to identify what spells they are, the Watcher's Council representative has been called. But since only an hour had passed since he escaped, it shouldn't be that major of a spell." Leader of Team 1 said coldly over the headphone. "Possibilities of it being the Halloween spell has been ruled out as well, as the spell ingredients involved need a full day of preparations. You're to secure the prisoner. You may harm him, but make sure no death or permanent disability. We still need him alive to do the magic experiments."

"Understood." The Leader of Team 2 said as he guided his men down the streets. There, a dirty unkempt man, their target Ethan Rayne, was standing in the middle of an empty street. The light of a full moon shone down at the target who was looking at Team 2 with amusement and disdain in his eyes.

"So the lap dogs have come to play." Ethan said as he took his hand out of his pocket, revealing a handgun in his hands.

"Put that down." The Leader of Team 2 shouted, as he brought his rifle up to aim at Ethan's gun hand. He was however surprised at what their target did next.

"I have enough of this." Ethan said as he pointed the gun at his head and began speaking in rough demon tongue. "Trewa luas oew hajkle oywj…"

"Whatever you are doing, stop it!" One of Team 2's men said as he fired a shot at Ethan. The target jerked back as blood blossomed on his ragged shirt, but the man continued chanting.

There was another gunshot, but this time it was by Ethan's own hands as he put a bullet through his head.

"See you in hell." Ethan whispered painfully as his eyes grazed over, his whole life energy spent in the spell he had cast.

The men of Team 2 burst into flames, screaming as they died by fire. In the warehouse where Ethan had resided during his escape, the large sigil on the floor began to glow. The men of Team 1 noticed it too late as the whole warehouse blew up like it had been planted with a bomb, shredding everything to pieces. Back in the secret facility where Ethan was imprisoned for more than one year, the hidden magical sigils he had planted in the base began to light up. The scientists, researchers and soldiers who had been forcing Ethan and the people they captured off the streets to aid in their magical research had no idea what was happening as the whole base was incinerated by hell fire.

For magic fuelled by the power of one's living energy would be boosted beyond levels where spells cast by nature energies could reach. It was why Blood magic was so feared and despised in the world… and Ethan happened to be the mage equivalent of a jack of all trades, knowing a little of each magical field, and master of Chaos magic.

In one fell stroke, Ethan single handedly destroyed those who had planned to use magic for evil.

Ethan was born a rebel, lived as a powerful chaos mage, and died a hero.

And only one person in the world would ever know what he had done.

His best friend and rival, Rupert Giles…

* * *

Giles sighed as he walked back to his apartment. It has been a quiet night, but he was still troubled by the events of last night. Buffy and Faith were ambushed by the master vampire Kakistos who was apparently out for Faith's blood. Both Slayers had dispatched the vampire and his minions after a struggle, and the Watcher's Council had apparently granted him the rights to be Watcher for Faith as well. Taking care of one Slayer was trouble enough, but to handle the training of two Slayers gave him a headache. Not that he would have left Faith out to dry of course. He would live and die for both girls, it was the least he could do to help them shoulder a bit of their burdens as a Slayer.

Giles opened his door and stepped into his apartment, closing the door behind him as he got ready to go to bed. He froze in mid motion as a glow of light suddenly appeared in front of him. The light ball hovered in the air before flying straight at him, striking his head. Giles only have time to give a strangled cry before memories and powers swept over him.

He was Ethan Rayne, one of the most powerful Chaos mage on Earth. His life flashed past before Giles' eyes as Giles relived every moments of his once friend but now ex-accomplice's life. Giles saw with horror how Ethan was captured after he left Sunnydale. From the whispered conversations that Ethan had overheard, Giles felt burning anger as he realized someone from the Watcher's Council had been taking part in the operations of the rogue government cells, doing experiments on magic. Their main aim of bringing Ethan in was to further develop his Halloween spell into a spell that would have permanent effects, allowing them to turn fictional objects real and grant superhuman abilities to humans.

Giles had felt sickened as he overheard how the Watcher's Council had provided the rogue group information on Ethan's whereabouts, how they had provided information on magic to help with the underground research, how Ethan was beaten and tortured, to force him to participate in the experiments. He had seen through Ethan's eyes how homeless people captured on the streets were taken into the facilities to be used as the spell's test subjects, how hundreds of them had gone mad or became unresponsive to the world. Teenagers, middle age men, the elderly, none were spared from being used as guinea pigs in the rogue group's experiments.

He had seen how the non-mage talented scientists and researchers of the group had invented ways for Ethan to hook up with electric generators to further power up his spells. The pain that Ethan had suffered as electrical energy coursed through him had been unbearable to Giles who had gasped in shock. Giles continued looking through the memories numbly as he watched Ethan escaped from the facility, the warehouse he had hidden in while he prepared the spell to pass all his powers and memories to his friend and only hope, Giles. Giles had watched numbly as Ethan used his life energy to send Giles his magical essence and memories, as well destroying the teams sent after him, and the secret facility.

Ethan's last thoughts were that he knew this would not end. His actions against the organization backing the rogue military group, would only halt their activities for the current time. His only hope lies in Giles. To stop those mad men, and make sure they could not use the completed spell to take over the world. Currently the only one to know of the completed spell was Giles, but the rogue military group had all the research data, even if the facility was destroyed, Ethan was sure that there were backup copies of the research somewhere in the world. It would be a matter of time before they force another mage to complete the research.

Ethan had passed Giles his magical essence, turning Giles' mediocre magical potential, into something a full blown mage would have. He had given Giles his memories for him to use the Halloween spell. With it, he hoped that Giles would gain enough power to put a stop to the Watcher's Council and the rogue military faction. Unfortunately, the perfected Halloween spell took around a day's worth of preparation time, which was why Ethan could not use it during his escape, lacking the necessary time and materials.

Ethan had considered Giles his best hope for vengeance even though Giles had regarded him as a nuisance and pest. He had been willing to sacrifice his life, because he believed that Giles would give him back his justice. As the memories slowed to a crawl, ending with Ethan's death and release of his soul, Giles felt tears streaming down his face as he cried uncontrollably.

"I will give you back your justice." Giles vowed fiercely, a dark look burning in his eyes. "The Council and the rogue military would know why I am called The Ripper, and they will pay for what they had done."

* * *

_3 weeks later…_

Xander was in shock as he listened to Giles spoke, of what happened to Giles three weeks ago when Ethan Rayne's essence had merged with him. Everyone had been gathered here for an emergency meeting that Giles had called up the moment he returned to Sunnydale from his trip, everyone including Faith, Cordelia and Oz.

Xander's mouth was agape as he listened to the corruption of the Watcher's Council, the rogue military faction, the Halloween spell…Tears had streamed down Giles' face as he told the small group, Buffy, Willow, Oz, Faith, Xander and Cordelia the last one year of Ethan's life during his capture. Xander had never seen Giles lost his composure before until now. He had shown them a newspaper clipping dating two weeks back about a supposed suicide in San Francisco. It was actually Ethan Rayne.

The rogue military faction had just left his body on the street after Ethan had cast the spell that destroyed the secret facility and passed Giles his knowledge. Giles had left one week ago after learning that Ethan's body was unclaimed. He had wanted to make sure that Ethan at least had a resting place. He had arrived a bit too late, for Ethan's body had already been cremated. All Giles had managed to retrieve was an urn of ashes which he had placed on a mantle in his home.

Willow looked sick and pale while she leaned against Oz who was comforting her. Cordelia drew closer to Xander who put an arm around her. Buffy just stared at Giles wide eyed while Faith just twisted her lips grimly.

"I knew those old bastards were too good to be true." Faith commented about the Watcher's Council dryly. "After all, technically the Slayer works for them, yet what did I get? Nothing. They're not even paying for my room and board. What little money I had is robbed from the vamps before I stake them. Yet they're helping this military op capture innocent people and doing experiments on them. They may pose as the good guys in the supernatural front, but they are just as rotten as the demons underneath."

"Not all the watchers are like that." Giles said heavily, shutting his eyes painfully. "I've known a lot of honorable field watchers in my time, which was why I never suspected this kind of duplicity from the Council itself. Apparently somewhere down the road, something had gone wrong with those having authority in the Watcher's Council."

"What should we do then? If the military group and the Watcher's Council have backup copies of the research, they could just find people to begin their experiments again." Willow said looking pale as she thought of the implications. "And this time there's no Ethan Rayne to deliberately sabotage the research results. If they figured out the complete spell…"

"They would get power beyond imagining, and who knows what they would use the power for? That is why we have to stop them." Giles said firmly. "I know this is a lot to ask from you. But the six of you are the only ones I can trust. I can't even contact any of my Watcher field colleagues about this. I have no way of knowing if they are together with the Council in this matter."

"Not to burst your bubble Giles, but I helped out with the slaying only because Xander is my boyfriend." Cordelia said bluntly as she grasped Xander's hand in a death grip. "We're not exactly superheroes that can go up against military goons and not get killed. Buffy might be able to bring down some of them, but against an army or even just a squad of them with guns and advanced equipments? Giles! Be realistic!"

"I do have the completed Halloween spell." Giles said calmly. "And I do know how to cast it."

There was silence as the six teenagers just stared at him.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking G-man?" Xander asked Giles, forcing the words out of his mouth through suddenly dry lips.

"We have one week to decide and research which fictional character we wish to become and what powers and memories we would get. We also need to decide what fictional items we wish to turn real. The powers of the Halloween spell relied largely on the belief generated by the human race as a whole, allowing you to turn into the character you are to become. The more people believing in that object or character, the more likely the spell will work when cast. Belief itself is after all an age old force not to be taken likely." Giles said as he looked at the teenagers who would be his only hope. "There are some other limitations to the spell. Obviously the power requirements to change someone into a god would require the opening of the Hellmouth and I've no desire to do that. I would however be using the residue Hellmouth energies in Sunnydale for the spell which should be a lot. So limit your choices to someone powerful and not god like.

Theoretically, the permanent version of the Halloween spell could only be cast once per person due to the vast metaphysical changes made to oneself. This basically meant that we have to choose what we would become very carefully. Let's make sure our choices are powerful enough to be able to crush military cells and the Watcher's Council with just the seven of us. The fictional objects turned real would help, but I would prefer all of us having powers enough to individually protect ourselves from any attacks."

"If you're looking for high end super power characters, I know where to find them." Xander suddenly spoke up with a gleam in his eyes. "After all, I am not a comic and TV junkie for nothing."

"You have a plan Xander?" Faith asked looking at Xander with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yes, do I ever…" Xander said with a grin, rubbing his hands like a kid in a candy store.

* * *

_1 week later…_

" The Scooby Gang's Super Power list

Giles – Charles Xavier (X-Men comics)

Buffy – Level 30 Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)

Faith – Master Monk class (Final Fantasy Tactics)

Willow – Level 30 Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)

Oz – Superman (Superman DC comics)

Xander – Cybran Armored Core Commander (Supreme Commander game)

Cordelia – Level 30 Druid (Dungeons & Dragons)

The Scooby Gang's Super Objects list

20 Star ship models from Star Trek TV series, Andromeda TV series, Master of Orion II game, Space Empires V game, and Star Wars films

Bag of Never-Ending Gold (Heroes of Might and Magic III game)

7 green lantern rings and lanterns (DC Green Lantern comics) with their names engraved on each of the rings + 1 Central Power Core"

Cordelia looked at the least spread out on the library table and rolled her eyes.

"Why do you have to call us the Scooby Gang?" Cordelia said in exasperation. "It sounds so juvenile Xander."

"Hey! I am the one writing the list while you guys just stood there talking." Xander defended himself good naturedly. "And I like Scooby Gang. It's a nice name for our group. So did everyone get their costumes?"

"Yeah I am the last one in, I've just passed it to Giles for him to do his mojo with." Buffy said pointing to Giles' office which was currently locked while Giles was doing the magical stuff to their costumes. "But I am not sure about this… how do we know we wouldn't get taken over like last time again? Being trapped in my body while someone else was controlling it was horrible."

"We're just had to trust Giles." Xander noted with a grimace. "I've never since him acting like this before, Ethan's death must have hit him very hard. I never knew he was a close friend with that Halloween shop keeper."

"Neither would I have guessed that they had a history between them." Buffy said with a shrug. "So you're sure about the list? I know next to nothing about this Level 30 Cleric person I am becoming, other than what I heard from you."

"A level 30 Cleric from the Dungeons & Dragons's PC game had powerful healing and spellcasting spells. Once you get her abilities, you'll fill in nicely as the combat medic of our group." Xander explained as he looked at the list. "Don't worry, I've everyone's skills all balanced out. The level 30 Druid from Dungeons & Dragons possessed powerful healing, defensive and offensive spells, while the Monk character class from the Final Fantasy Tactics game possessed powerful attack and healing skills. If the spell is successful, you, Faith and Cordelia will be serving as the combat medics of our group.

Oz as Superman will be all but invincible in this world as there's no Kryptonite here, though he retains a vulnerability to magic. I doubt we'll encounter too many magic users in the military cells. He'll be our main attacker should we need one. Willow will go as level 30 Sorcerer who possessed the most powerful offensive spells in the Dungeons & Dragons's game. Giles will go as Charles Xavier, a mutant with powerful telepathic abilities, acting as our recon and a way for us to retrieve information from people's minds. I will go as a Cybran Commander, an A.I. human hybrid who can operate an Armored Core Unit which is able to build buildings and other structures in mere minutes. The areas of attack, defense, medical, recon and firepower aspects have been covered."

"I know you spent a lot of time planning the list Xander." Willow said from her position besides Oz as the two seat on the library stairs. "But are you sure you want to become just a Cybran Commander? I've done some research about the character. Other than the fact that he commands a very technologically advanced armored unit which can build objects in seconds, he is basically quite normal except for the fact that he has an A.I. implanted in his head."

"I am pretty sure." Xander said with a nod. "We need powerful technologies on our side if we're to win the fight against our enemies with just the few of us. The Armored Core Unit from the Supreme Commander game allows us to build anything with a template from ground up in seconds. We can't just turn an Armored Core Unit real with no way of knowing how to use it. The real in-game Armored Core unit is the size of at least a ten storey building. The costume I am able to get my hands on is only the size of a body suit, we have no idea if the size difference would change the functions of the Armored Core unit when it turns real. Someone has to wear it and knows how to operate it for my plan to work."

"And that plan involves the 20 starship models from various TV shows, games and films, you've gotten us to source for you." Faith said dryly from the side. "I know. You've told us like a hundred times."

"Well, if the Armored Core unit does turn real and I know how to use it, add in the spaceship models that turned real… I might be able to hack into those spaceships, get their technologies and build a space ship of our own. A lot of things are hanging on whether everything will go accordingly to plan." Xander admitted. "But it felt like a worthwhile risk. We've nothing much to lose anyway."

"I know." Buffy said resignedly.

Silence fell over the group, only broken when Giles opened his office doors, exiting with a large box of costumes.

"The preparations are ready." Giles said to everyone, putting the box on the floor. "Dress up in your costumes and meet back here in fifteen minutes. I'll begin casting the spell shortly."

"Alright, time to see if everything would work smoothly." Xander said without humor as everyone took their costumes and filed out of the library to change.

* * *

Willow watched with trepidation as she and the others spread out in a circle around a statue of Janus. They were all dressed in their costumes which Giles had already marked with some sort of sigil. A space had been cleared in the center of the library where the various objects that they wanted to turn real were gathered. The atmosphere was heavy and solemn, with the tinge of anticipation. Everyone knew the risk, there was no guarantee that the spell would work smoothly, and everyone was mentally preparing themselves for the worst. Off to the side, Xander and Cordelia were fidgeting as Giles drew a series of symbols around the Janus statue.

Then Giles began chanting. It sounded like Latin, but the language was ever shifting. Energy began building up around the older man, and to the budding young witch, Willow could not help but feel a shiver at the amount of mystical power Giles was gathering around them with his spell. She knew what Giles was doing, after all he had explained the components of the spell to them during the past few days. To gather enough mystical energies to power the spell, Giles had no choice but to tap into the residue energies of the Hellmouth.

A shift of energies and a golden glow began surrounding her body. It began as an itch spreading in her head, then as if having a sudden revelation, the memories of an Arch Sorcerer Nina Redrill exploded in her head. Foreign spells that she suddenly had knowledge of trampled into her mind, imprinting their presence within her. Foreign power flooded her body and she felt a new connection… a connection to a source of great power in this world, a Source through which she obtained her sorcerer magic.

Through the exhilarating haze that clouded her mind at the new memories and powers that she had attained, she could see the others around her surrounded by the same golden cones of magic, their faces with mixtures of awe and surprise as they undergo the same changes. Then in a moment, the golden glows dissipated, leaving Willow physically drained of energy as she collapsed onto the floor. Consecutive thumps around her marked the others' release from the spell as they collapsed in a similar manner onto the floor.

"Well… this is certainly how I would imagine myself feeling if I was run over by a truck." Faith commented wryly from her position directly opposite Willow, separated by the pile of items that they had wished to turn real.

Willow lifted her head with a groan, the beginning of a massive headache already piercing through her mind. But something more important held back the pain, an eagerness to test out her new powers as she reached within her memories to call up a low level spell.

"Light." Willow whispered, as her own internal magic reserves, connecting to the mysterious magical Source that she was now bond to, fueled the spell, causing a small ball of light to bloom into being in front of her. The white light globe floated in the air like a Will 'o' wisp, drifting gently above Willow's head.

There was clanging of metal as Xander clad within his armored costume began moving. The armored costume had apparently become real, as the original plastic and metal plated costume was now a seamless metallic armor. Xander moved towards the piles of items in the circle, lifting a metal gloved hand. Beams of light erupted from the gloved hand of the armored suit, running over the various spaceship models that lay in a heap in front of Willow. There was a pause before Xander's voice came through the helmet of the armored suit, full of excitement.

"It worked! The Armored Core suit and the spaceship models had turned real. I am able to operate the Armored Core suit, hack into the starships turned real and get their starships blueprints." Xander exclaimed, sounding like a kid in a candy store. "The spell worked!"

"_Indeed."_ Giles' voice resonated in Willow's head. Judging by everyone's stunned expressions, the others could hear Giles' mental voice as well. _"The spell worked, now it is time for us to plan how we are going to stop the N.I.D. and the Watcher's Council."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Story Title: The Halloween Spell**

**Crossover:** Multiple

**Author:** Wraithrune

**Summary:** After Halloween night, Ethan was captured by the N.I.D who forced him to create af permanent Halloween spell which they can exploit. With the world's fate in his hands, Ethan did the right thing for once in his life, by empowering those that may be able to stop the rogue agency. And the world would never be the same again.

**Author's Note:** Hi guys, thanks for the interest you've shown. Just some notes to clarify why I took certain directions in the story. This is a predominately Stargate/Buffy the Vampire Slayer techno crossover. Some of you might have noticed that two of the games (Space Empire V & Supreme Commander) I've crossed in my story were still not available in the year 1999 which is roughly the timeline of this fiction. The problem is that in the real world 1999, our home computers can never support the graphic outputs from these two games. It's only till 2003-4, that the graphic cards are able to support these two games.

But let's for a moment imagine that in a world where there is Stargate Command. A world where for the past 2+ years, the Stargate Command had been bringing advance alien technologies back to Earth, with a group of dedicated government scientists working to reverse engineer the technologies. The resulting butterfly effect… wouldn't that cause a leap in science? Especially computer science since more powerful computers would be needed to do the higher level simulations and calculation?

Let's imagine the government having to release out some of their less powerful computer devices to the public market in order to generate income to fund their various black ops missions like SGC. Such an action would likely cause an advancement in the entertainment and gaming industry, bringing forth computers that would support games such as Space Empire V & Supreme Commander before their time.

;P Anyway, like I said, this is predominately a fanfiction, so let's just imagine with me and have fun at the same time ok? :D

And guys, thanks for taking the time to read and review.

**Chapter Two: Mission 0 – Base Building & the Silver Surfer?**

Cramping almost everyone into Oz's van was a task onto itself. Oz was the driver, while Willow rode shogun besides him. Faith, Giles, Cordelia and Buffy took their places in the back of the van. They were squeezed in together with the starship models turned real and a bag of never-ending gold. Cordelia was currently playing with the bag as she dumped out a pile of gold bars and watched as the bag refilled. Then there were the glowing green lantern rings which Giles had kept in a box, depositing in a corner of the van together with the green lanterns, and the small Central Power Core which glowed with a pulsing green light.

Faith knew full well the power those rings have, she did read some comics while she was living in Boston. But Giles had set a strict rule that they had to get used to their new powers and abilities first before they mess around with the green lantern rings. It made sense in a way, if they cannot even control their new abilities, trying to figure out how to use the green lantern rings would be a mess.

Currently, Faith had decades of memories from her Master Monk counterpart who was well versed in using one's internal energies, called chakra, to unleash devastating attacks. The Master Monk also knew ways to use those energies to accomplish healing miracles, such as reviving the dead and restoring another's magical powers. Her physical strength, stamina and speed seemed to have dramatically increased as well, something Faith was sure Buffy would have severe issues with once she knew.

Faith had tried out one of Monk's skill back at the library. It was an attack called Aurablast, which was actually an ability that power up one's own aura, and send it out around one's body in a blast of energy. The resulting energy blast had destroyed a table and chair near her, and got her an admonishment from Giles about trying to be more careful with her new powers.

They had a surprisingly short discussion about what to do next. Apparently Xander with his original plan was to create a secure and hidden base of operations for themselves should his costume turn real. Faith had been a bit skeptical about Xander's claims that he could build them a secure and hidden base in minutes, even though Xander had been telling them of his costume's capabilities for days. But with Willow and Oz stating that it should be possible since they had done the necessary research on Xander's costume, the group had come to a decision to try out Xander's base building idea first. If that failed… well, they could always come up with new ideas later.

So right now, they were heading out to the desert near Sunnydale. They were to venture deep into the desert in Oz's van where Xander would use his Armored Command Unit to build a base for them. Giles' car was deemed too much of a road hazard to safely ride over the hot burning sand, which was why he was riding together with them. As for Xander, dressed in his Armored suit, he was too heavy for Oz's van to carry. Xander had triggered a cloaking device built into the armor which caused him to vanish from sight as he followed the van from behind, making good speed.

As they ride deeper into the desert, Faith looked out of the back window of the van and could see the massive footprints of an invisible armored Xander trailing behind. They had left the highway a while ago, so there were no worries that they would bump into anyone out in the wilderness.

"I know you are fascinated with the bag of never-ending gold Cordelia, but can you stop bringing out more of the gold bars? There's barely enough room in this van as it is." Giles said in exasperation as he tried to inch back from the pile of gold Cordelia was dumping from the magical bag in front of her.

"But can you imagine what we can do with an endless supply of gold?" Cordelia asked in a voice filled with awe. "There's no need for us to work anymore, we could spend the rest of our lives in comfort."

"Yes, and we will go shoe shopping once we've taken care of the latest human caused apocalypse." Buffy said helpfully, trying to put things in perspective for Cordelia.

"You are not helping Buffy." Giles said with a groan. "I didn't turn the never-ending pouch real so that you can misuse it. The gold is to fund our current operations against the Watcher's Council and the rogue military cells. It is supposed to be our backup in case Xander is unable to build those replicators things he was talking about."

"Aww come on Giles, relax a bit." Faith quipped from the back. "I think we should be allowed some compensation for all the world saving we have been doing. Just think of it as giving us salaries."

"Salaries paid in gold." Cordelia grinned. "I rather like that idea."

"You would." Giles muttered in disgruntlement before he was cut off by Oz's voice.

"I think we're deep enough in the desert." Oz said as he stopped the van, turning around to face them. "I've been driving into this place for the past one hour. I doubt we would meet anyone here."

"Good let's get down then and wait for Xander to catch up." Giles said as he opened the door of the van.

The group tumbled out into the hot blistering air. Cordelia frowned, snapping her hands in front of her, unleashing a wave of power as the air around them instantly chilled.

"You're getting pretty good with the mojo." Faith said as she relaxed in the cooling air.

"Thanks. This is a modified cone of cold spell." Cordelia said with a shrug. "It is supposed to be an attack spell but it is more appropriate as an air cooling spell right now. I can probably hold it for half an hour before I need to recast it. Whatever Xander wants to build, he had better do it fast, because I can chill the air, but I don't provide UV rays protection."

"I hear you Cordy." Xander's amused voice said behind the van as his armored suited self appeared, turning off the cloaking device that had kept him invisible. Xander turned around in the suit as if surveying the surroundings before giving a nod. "This seems like a good place for the base. Stay where you are. I need a few minutes to construct my energy generators before I can build the base."

Faith just leaned back against the van to watch the show while Cordelia climbed back in the van, muttering something about not getting sun burns while waiting for the doofus. As Willow, Oz, Buffy and Giles gathered behind Xander to watch what he was doing, two silver drones the size of a tennis ball flew out from Xander's shoulder plating, hovering in the air before spitting out streams of silver threads in front of Xander.

As for Xander, he lifted both his palms thrust out in front of him as a thicker stream of silver threads poured out of his metal gloved hands. Faith lifted an eyebrow as the silver streams of threads solidify before their very eyes into a silver wire framework of what looks like a building. As more and more of the silver threads poured from Xander's gloved hands and the two drones hovering overhead, the pre-exiting silver wire framework shifted forms into some sort of metal which quickly grew as more silver threads poured onto the structure and solidify into other materials.

The next few minutes, Faith watched in awe as she literally saw the five storey building build itself from the inside out. Less than ten minutes later, a completed dull gray metallic building stood in front of them, towering above them and nicely blocking out the sun, leaving them in the shade.

"This is Power Generator Plant." Xander explained as he turned back to everyone, waving his hand towards the building. "I'll need to build two more of these in order to have enough energy to build the base I have in mind. After the Power Generators are completed, I will need to build three Mass Extracters as well to provide myself with necessary building materials before building the base."

"Mass Extractors? Building materials? What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked as she stepped out of the van, standing in the shade of the completed building.

"The Armored Command Unit builds buildings and units through highly advanced nano-technologies. The silver streams of particles I used to build the building are actually billions of nanites flowing and fusing together into different types of materials. I need energy to power the building process, and mass to create more of the streams of nanites." Xander explained as he looked at Cordelia. "Give me another half an hour to build the Power Generators and Mass Extracters. I will probably need another ten minutes to build the base."

"Astonishing." Giles said, looking at the building and shaking his head. "Very well, now that we've seen your technology first hand, I must admit it would prove useful. But what kind of base are you thinking of building?"

"You will see." Xander's voice came through the helmet with a hint of laughter as he turned away, walking a distance away from the building to begin constructing the next Power Generator.

"I guess we'll know what X has in mind once he gets to building the base." Faith said with a shrug as she climbed back into the van. "I don't know about you guys, but I am thinking of taking a short nap."

* * *

Having the memories of a sixty-seven year old war veteran from the Cybran Nation was proving to be something of a nightmare to Xander. In the reality of the Supreme Commander game, the Cybrans, humans with artificial intelligence implants, were the underdogs in the fight against the Aeon Illuminate, humans who followed alien philosophies, and the United Earth Federation, humans who hated the Aeons and the Cybrans.

Both the Aeon and the United Earth Federation fought for an ideal that's far from perfect while the Cybrans just wanted to survive in a world that condemns them as slaves to the human race. They fought to survive and be acknowledged as a sentient being, not for conquest or persecution of others. It was also one of the reasons why Xander had chosen to become a Cybran Commander instead of the other two as he was the more humane of the other two.

Matt Rowen, the Cybran Commander Xander had attained his memories from, had decades of experience leading massive robotic armies in guerilla tactics against the more powerful United Earth Federation and Aeon Illuminate. The scenes of massive robotic battles clashing on desecrated wastelands of numerous planets kept flashing past Xander's mind with every step he took. The headaches had actually begun a few minutes after they had left Sunnydale and entered the highway.

An order to the Artificial Intelligence implanted in his head was all it took to shut down part of his memory receptors, numbing the pain, but it also meant that a large part of Matt Rowen's memories was locked away from him. The memories might prove important in the days to come as Matt Rowen had decades of commanding experience that Xander and his small group was very lacking in. But as of current time, Xander had more important things to do then to deal with what seemed to be a minor memory overload. Not to mention the fact that Xander was dying to try out the advance technologies in-built into his Armored Command Unit. Though right now it would probably be more appropriate to call it the Armored Command Suit, seeing that it was now literally a body suit encasing Xander's body, rather than a giant ten storey Command and Construction unit.

Xander had felt a bit of smugness at the realization that his plan had indeed worked. He had been worried that something might have went wrong especially since the Halloween spell was trying to turn his small Armored costume suit into having the same properties and function of a ten storey high robotic unit with him inside. But it seemed that his worry was unfounded, though he could not help but feel a nagging feeling that something about his body had changed. In some ways, he felt… stronger and more alive. His A.I. implant was also working more smoothly than he had seen Matt Rowen attempting to do in his memories.

The A.I. implant worked as a large database where he could dump knowledge into and order the contents for easy reference, it also allowed him to achieve complex calculations in second, but such an act would leave him drained as his own bio-neurotic energies are powering the implant. Right now, Xander had given his implants the orders to shuffle through the different technologies he had uncovered from the numerous toy starships turned real. His orders were simple, find and reconfigure the necessary technologies that would be needed to build his "Dream Base".

What Giles and the others did not know was that he planned to build a starship as their base and destroy the Power Generators and Mass Extractors he was building after he was done. After all, a moving base is easier to defend than a stationary base. A highly advanced starship would have a maneuverability that would be hard for Earth's current technologies to attack against. With the blend of Star Trek, Star Wars, Andromeda, Master of Orion II and Space Empire V technologies he had gleaned from the small starship models turned real, Xander planned to build a starship without equal in this world.

Of course, retro fitting technologies from different sources together would take more than just a few minutes of modification and calculation, it would probably take him days to fully integrate technological devices from other TV shows and games into his new starship. What he was doing however was using the Andromeda Ascendant's starship blueprint as a framework, while technologies from other sources would be built into his new starship via isolated networks.

It was a slap stick way of fitting numerous technologies into a ship without it ending up crippled. By Xander's mental predication, there's a 97% chance the ship would be able to operate, and only a 3% chance of error, and he was willing to take that risk. Xander shook his head. He had the technologies to create Ring worlds, planets and suns from the Space Empire V starships, but he had no idea what he would do with such technologies, even though it might prove useful for the human race in the future. As of now, cloaking devices, force shields and tough starship armors were being added to the ship's construction blueprint and they were only the tip of the ice berg.

What he was going to build for the gang was probably overkill for dealing with the rogue NID agents and the Watcher's Council, but the inner geek in him could not help but desire to build a starship without equal, in this world or galaxy. After all, he reasoned that once they were done dealing with those that had a hand in leading Ethan to his death, they could use the starship Andromeda to aid them in their demon fighting, or even go exploring the galaxy and look for alien lifeforms!

The very thought was enough to cause a grin to stretch across Xander's face as he began building the third Power Generator.

* * *

It had taken less than twenty minutes for Xander to complete building all six buildings which towered around the group in a semi-circle. Armored Xander had walked to a patch of the desert not cluttered with buildings and had begun to send out a stream of nano-bots to build what Buffy suspects would be their base of operations.

Standing beside Willow as she watched Xander began building the famework of the base, Buffy sighed. Things were just progressing so fast, she was still coming to terms with the fact that she was now a powerful spellcaster, a Cleric with healing spells that were near miraculous, and the mortal enemies of all things undead. The fact that she could now consciously tap into a source of pure energy to power her spells was giving her a sense of unreality.

"He's building the Starship Andromeda Ascendant!" Willow said with a gasp as the silver blue framework of what looked like a large ship formed in front of Xander, made up of trillions of nano-bots.

"A what?" Cordelia asked in confusion. "Isn't that one of the starship models turned real?"

"Yes. The Andromeda Ascendant is a powerful starship from the Andromeda TV series. It is one of the most powerful ships in its world, with the capability to travel galaxies. It is also a warship with powerful weapons that could destroy planets and very tough armor." Willow explained excitedly as she drank in the sight of the beginnings of their starship base in front of her.

"Well, we would certainly be very well protected in a starship with technologies that are much more advanced than those of Earth." Giles said with an approving nod. "Though I wonder how Xander would hide the ship from public eye. Does this Andromeda starship have a cloaking device similar to Xander's armor as well?"

"No, the Andromeda Ascendant in the TV series did not have that ability." Willow said shaking her head as she continued. "But I don't see that stopping Xander. Starship cloaking technologies are available in some of the Star Trek and Star Wars ship models which had turned real, and the Master of Orion II and Space Empire V starships most certainly have that capability. I did my research on them when Xander selected those ships. Xander could just implement technologies from other ships onto the Andromeda Ascendant if needed. At least that is my guess."

"I think you are right." Oz said softly beside her. "But I am more curious about what other technologies Xander might have gained from the starship models turned real. I have played the Master of Orion II and Space Empire V games before. Both features civilizations with powerful technologies, able to form new planets from asteroids and even create new suns, stellar storms and black holes. That's not putting into account the powerful shield and weapon technologies both games have."

"Good lord…" Giles said, his face paling in shock. "Perhaps I should have asked Xander to be clearer in his explanation of why he needed those toy ships."

"Too late for that now." Buffy said with a hint of dry humor. "Anyway it is interesting seeing our starship base build from the inside out at a fast forward pace. I can make out a lot of rooms and objects."

"I hope he made my room bigger. If we're going to live on the starship for a long period of time, I want it to feel like home." Cordelia said, causing Willow to roll her eyes.

"There are hundreds of rooms in a ship the size of Andromeda and there are only 7 of us. I am sure you'll get your pick of the living quarters." Willow said dryly as she turned her attention towards Xander.

The others followed her example and watched in rapt amazement as within minutes, a completed Andromeda Ascendant hovered in the sky in front of them dwarfing the whole area in a cone of shade. Willow took a few excited steps towards Xander before giving a startled cry as shimmers of lights collates around all of them and the van. There was a sense of dislocation, and then she found herself standing in what seemed to be the bridge of the starship Andromeda, the consoles and control stations roughly similar to the one in the TV shows, though there are some slight modifications to the original.

Giles and the others were next to her, with Faith picking herself off the white plated floor which she had been lying on when they were all transported to this place. Xander in his armor was standing at the front of the bridge, with a large flat screen display showing the patch of desert in front of the ship, dotted with the six Power Plants and Mass Extractors. As the group watched in shock, the newly built Power Plants and Mass Extractors began to collapse into themselves, leaving behind black husks of metal in mere minutes.

"I've activated the self destruct for the Power Plants and Mass Extractors once our starship base has been completed." Xander's voice reverberated through the armor's helmet as he explained. "It would too much of a chore to take care of them compared to the option of just building new ones should I need to. Hope you guys don't mind me beaming you up to the ship. I've transported the van to the cargo bay as well where it would be quite safe."

"Give me a warning next time." Faith said stretching her muscles as she looked around the bridge of the starship with interest. "So this is a starship. Not bad, I never imagined I would be able to ride on a real ship that can take to the stars."

"It is more than just a starship. This will be our base of operations." Xander said in a humorous voice as he pointed to the screen that was showing an image of the desert. "Guys, I'll like to introduce all of you to a vital member of our group. Andromeda, if you would please appear?"

As the group watched in amazement, the image of the desert flickered away to be replaced by a dark haired Asian woman on screen.

"Greetings, I am Andromeda." The woman said giving them a smile and a confident nod.

"Xander! You've created Andromeda! A sentient A.I.!" Willow cried out in shock and fascination as she took a few quick steps towards the front of the display screen gazing up at the image of Andromeda's avatar representation.

"Not exactly create. I took her pre-existing code from the toy ship Andromeda Ascendant and modify it so that she is now part of our crew and answerable to us." Xander said as he reached up to remove the helmet of his armor.

What happened next caused Cordelia to screech in shock and Willow who was the closest to Xander to back away with a whimper as everyone gaped at him.

"What happened?" Xander asked quickly turning to look behind him. Finding nothing there, he turned back to see that everyone was staring at him with shock and fear… everyone except for Oz.

"Hey man." Oz said simply as he pointed at Xander. "You're all silver."

"Silver? What do you mean silver?" Xander asked in confusion.

"If you will allow me Xander." Andromeda said as her image winked out of the display screen to be replaced by a live image of the bridge.

Xander stood staring at the display screen in frozen shock as he saw Willow and the others on the screen, standing next to someone in the Armored Command suit, with a face and hair that looked like pure liquid silver.

"Oh my god..." Xander said as his emotion receptors overload and his brain shut down, causing him to collapse onto the floor unconscious, with a heavy thump.

* * *

He was Orlin, once of the Ancient race when he was a mortal, now he was just an Ascended exiled by The Others for his crimes. The Ancients were once one of the most technologically advanced races in the galaxy before they discovered the secret of Ascension, a process when one leaves their mortal bodies and Ascend into a non-corporal energy form existing in another plane of existence.

The Ascended have a rule of non-interference with the lesser races, a rule which Orlin had broken four centuries ago. The planet Velona, which was now Orlin's prison used to be home to a civilization. When they were under attack by the Goa'uld, Orlin had intervened by teaching the people of Velona how to construct advanced weapons to protect themselves. They managed to defeat the invading Goa'uld, but in later years, they chose to use the technological edge they had gained from Orlin to begin conquering other planets.

The Others, a group of Ascended Beings that watched over life in this galaxy and a few others nearby galaxies, had destroyed the entire civilization to "correct" Orlin's mistake, sentencing him to live alone on the desolated planet. It was meant to be Orlin's punishment for breaking the rule, a punishment Orlin had suffered for the past four centuries.

Only now… he was not alone. For a short time ago, a wave of energy had swept over him, taking away a small portion of his essence and in its place, a connection with a female of the human race was formed. At first he had thought it was an attack by The Others, a new punishment, but as he stretch his senses through the connection, he could see through the girl's eyes, feel her emotions, and read every last of her thoughts.

She was Buffy Summers, a Vampire Slayer, from the planet Earth. She had been fighting the supernatural for years, and had only sent her undead boyfriend Angel into a portal a few months ago. She had agreed to go through the Halloween Spell again for Giles' sake, and to protect the world from madmen experimenting in magic. She was dressed as a Cleric, a spell caster that supposedly got her powers from a deity…

It took Orlin only a moment to shift through Buffy Summers' memories, to realize that she was the second evolution of the human race created by the Ancients a long time ago. Seeing the vampires and demons in Buffy's memories caused Orlin to grimace in distaste as he realize that Earth was actually Terra, the once proud capital planet of the Ancients in this galaxy, but also the site of their greatest mistake.

A failed experiment researching into Quantum Mirrors, resulted in the formation of powerful dimensional wormholes that unleashed a nightmare of Elder beings upon the Ancients, and the beginning of the great plague. The Elder beings were only banished centuries later when The Others of that time intervened, sealing the Elder beings sealed away and taming the dimensional wormholes. The Others had kept a constant veil over the planet, hiding the dimensional wormholes and the minor dimensional beings that remained on Terra from the other races in the galaxy.

They had corrected the Ancients' error, but had also not wanted to intervene too much by destroying the minor dimensional beings, seeking instead to observe how the humans on Terra would grow under this new environment. To the Ancients who later ascended and joined The Others, Terra was nothing more than a slap to their face, a literal fish bowl experiment by The Others who had ascended before them.

Orlin felt a miniscule portion of his energy pulled through the connection as Buffy Summers tried out her new Cleric spells which unknown to her was powered by a worried Orlin. That the humans of Terra would have gained such powerful manipulation of dimensional energies, such as that Halloween spell, and was even able to even affect Ascended beings were cause for concern. It was his duty to warn The Others… but should he really do that after what they had did to him?

His choice was taken away from him as a swirl of energy formed in the plane of existence he was in. Orlin found himself looking at one of The Others, one that he did not know of.

"Orlin Tersactea, you are hereby released from your exile. The Council demands your presence immediately." The messenger said looking at Orlin coolly.

Orlin sighed, it seemed that The Others needed no warning… for they already knew…

* * *

Xander woke up to hands running across his bare chest.

"Cordelia! Stop that this instance!" Willow's angry voice said from Xander's side. "That's my best friend you are molesting!"

Xander blinked sleepy eyes and found himself staring up at Cordelia who was leaning down to look at him.

"He's my boyfriend, I can touch him if I want." Cordelia retorted next to Xander. "And he's awake."

"Oh! Xander!" Willow said in relief. Xander turned around and saw her rushing forward, with Giles and the others by her side. Trying to leverage his body up, Xander froze as he saw his silver hands, half naked silver chest, and a pair of silver legs extending from a pair of blue shorts.

"Oh my god, that wasn't a dream." Xander said weakly as he slummed back on what he now realized was a medical examination table.

"Don't faint on us again Xander." Buffy said worriedly as she appeared in his line of vision. "You scared us half to death the first time."

Xander closed his eyes, trying to calm his ponding heart before sending strength into his limbs, getting off the medical table and standing up.

"What happened to me?' Xander asked in a defeated voice. In all his visualized scenarios of the after effects of the Halloween Spell, turning into a silver skin freak was not one of them.

Shimmers of light appeared before him and a holographic display of Andromeda appeared, looking a bit apologetic.

"To answer your question, the data from scans of your body reveals that you are now in essence an organic nanite being. Your cells are made up of interlinked blocks of nanites that can alter into different states of matter. That is one of the reasons why even though your body is changed, it retains the general appearance and feel of a human body. Your mind is subconsciously controlling your nanite body, giving it your original human form." Andromeda said, the information hitting Xander like a ton of bricks.

"You mean I am not human anymore?" Xander asked incredulously. "This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to turn into a Cybran, a _human_ with an A.I. implant after the Halloween Spell!"

"You misunderstood me." Andromeda continued patiently. "You can become a human if you wish to, you just need to alter the state of your silver nanite skin to become the molecular structure of a normal human skin cell. Think of it this way. Your body is now in essence a collective mass of nano-bots, quite similar to the nano-bots used for building and construction used by your Armored Command suit. These organic nano-bots that made up your body are under your full control."

"You've got to be kidding me. I didn't ask for this." Xander said wiping his face tiredly, all of these felt surreal, like some bad dreams that would go away in a while.

He felt a tug on his arm as Willow rest a hand on it, an indescribable look in her eyes.

"Don't worry, we don't mind the new you." Willow said reassuringly. Behind her Buffy gave a firm nod. "No one knew this could happen."

"But why did it happen in the first place? I thought the Halloween Spell worked perfectly for all of us." Xander asked, the nagging feeling of wrongness eating at him.

"It worked a little too perfectly." Giles said with a heavy sigh as he looked at Andromeda's avatar. "I've discussed the matter with Andromeda, and she pointed out something to me. Xander, during the casting of the spell, you never did give me any costume that will identify you as a _human Cybran Commander_."

"But I did! The Armored Command Suit was Cybran in design." Xander protested in confusion.

"Yes, the Halloween Spell was cast on the Armored Command suit. The objective of the spell was to make the targeted object real and whoever wearing it as it is…" Giles trailed off uncomfortably.

"You mean… you mean… the spell treated me as if I wanted to be turned into an _Armored Command Unit_ instead of a _Cybran operating an Armored Command Unit_?" Xander said weakly as he realized what Giles was trying to tell him.

"In a way." Andromeda said with a nod. "But somehow, due to your living presence, the spell might have warped your molecular structure to become similar to the nano-bots stored in the Armored Command suit. Resulting in your default appearance as a silver humanoid. This is not exactly a bad thing. According to my scans, you can change back to a pure human form once you mastered how to modify the molecular structure of all of your nanites. In theory, due to your unique structure, your body would heal from wounds easily as the nanites can just reform across any wounds…"

"Stop…" Xander said lifting a silver hand weakly, looking a bit sick. "Thanks for your help Andromeda, but I think I need some time alone now. If all of you don't mind, please give me a few hours to think…"

"Xander." Buffy said in worry but was stopped by a shake of his head.

"Don't worry Buffy, I'll be alright in a while, I just need sometime alone. In the meantime, why don't all of you go and explore the ship? Andromeda can guide you." Xander said with a wane smile as he gestured towards the avatar of Andromeda before walking out of the medical examination room.

There was an awkward silence as the rest of the group just stared at each other before Cordelia turned around and stalked towards the door.

"I've better made sure that idiot doesn't do anything silly when he's alone." Cordelia said before she walked out, leaving the others behind.

"As for the rest of you, Xander has ordered me to give you a tour of the ship." Andromeda said as she led the way. "Please follow me."

"Oh… okay then." Willow said trying to force a smile as she grabbed Oz's hands. "Did Xander build any holodeck rooms in this ship?"

"Of course, I have 32 holodeck rooms spread out between 17 levels." Andromeda said as she began giving the rest who had stayed behind a tour of the starship Andromeda Ascendant. "Let me show you the way to the closest."

**

* * *

**

Help?:

The Cleric from D&D got their spells and powers from deities. But I am unsure about Druids and Sorcerers, can anyone give me any insights as to this? 


	3. Chapter 3

**Story Title: The Halloween Spell**

**Crossover:** Multiple

**Author:** Wraithrune

**Disclaimer:** This is a crossover fanfiction. The rights for Buffy the Vampire Slayfer, Star Trek, Star Wars, Andromeda, Master of Orion II, Space Empires V, Dungeons and Dragons, Stargate, Supreme Commander, Final Fantasy Tactics, Heroes of Might and Magic series, Green Lanterns and Superman belongs to their respective owners. I am just a fan dabbling in creating an alternate playground for their existence.

**Summary:** After Halloween night, Ethan was captured by the N.I.D who forced him to create a permanent Halloween spell which they can exploit. With the world's fate in his hands, Ethan did the right thing for once in his life, and the world will never be the same again.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Dealing with the Consequences**

The holographic image of Andromeda was her silent guide as the ship's A.I. pointed towards the direction Xander had taken. Cordelia's soft footsteps echoed in the empty corridors of the ship, as she passed numerous doors leading to unoccupied rooms and unmanned ship console stations. The brief walk really highlighted the vastness of Andromeda and the emptiness of the ship, especially as the current human crew numbered only seven. Of course, a faster way would have been asking Andromeda to beam her to Xander's current location like they had done when they rushed Xander and everyone to the medical lab. But with Xander's current emotional turmoil, it might not be wise to just pop in on him like that. Not to mention she need time to think about how to comfort Xander.

Cordelia knew she might be a snob sometimes, but she's not totally blind to people's state of emotions, and she did love the doofus a little... well maybe more than just a little, but the main point was that she cared about him. That meant that the worry she had over his current state of mind override her own initial awe of gaining her new super powers. The strong connection to nature, to life on the planet which powered her druidic spells was pulsing within her even now.

"He's behind this door." The holographic image of Andromeda intoned softly as they stopped in front of a large sliding door at the end of the corridor. "It leads to the viewing deck. Just lay your hand on the panel beside the door to open it."

"Thank you Andromeda." Cordelia said with a polite nod. "I'll handle the rest. Give us some privacy."

"Of course. I'll activate the ship's privacy settings in the viewing deck during the time both of you are inside." Andromeda said before flickering into strands of light and disappearing totally.

Cordelia took in a deep breath before opening the door which slide apart soundlessly. Stepping in, she took in the sight of a large rounded room with glass-like panels lining its curved side, which was facing out of the ship, allowing a clear view of the midday sun and the blistering hot desert below them. The room was large enough to occupy ten to twenty people comfortably and was furnished with cushioned benches, as well as some kind of dark grey metallic looking tables.

She touched one as she walked passed, feeling a hard plastic texture instead of the cool metal touch she had been expecting. She made her way to the front of the viewing deck, close to the transparent glass-like windows where Xander was standing close to, looking down at the desert. Sunlight sparkled off his half naked liquid silver body, making him looked like some sort of Greek Parthenon statue... in silver form.

"Andromeda's current hypothesis about my current condition is not exactly correct you know." Xander spoke up suddenly, not turning around, even though Cordelia was sure that he had heard her arrived. "Somehow the Halloween spell not only granted me an organic nanite body, but also the memories of a Cybran Commander who was operating the suit. If Andromeda's theory that the spell target only the Amored Command Unit costume was true, I would not have the memories of a sixty-seven year old war veteran in my head, just an organic nanite body."

Cordelia just stopped silently by his side, gently leaning against him without saying a word. She could sense that right now, Xander doesn't need comforting words, just someone to listen and be there for him.

"I think that somehow my presence in the Armored Command Unit as it was turned real modified the Halloween spell, even though I was not wearing another costume inside the Armored Command Unit to specify that I wish to turn into a Cybran Commander. It seemed that my very desire and intent might have triggered the spell to pass me the memories of a Commander." Xander said before giving a bitter laugh. "Now that as I think back, I'm still amazed that we've gotten off so lightly. We've no idea of the full capabilities or aspects of the Halloween Spell, yet we just dived into using the spell. We must have the luck of fools not to be altered into something more inhuman than me..."

Cordelia wrapped her arms around Xander as he began to shiver.

"What am I going to do Cordy?" Xander asked brokenly. "What am I going to do?"

And Cordelia had no answers.

* * *

"... and this is the hydroponics room..." The holographic image of Andromeda said as she guided them into a brightly lit room spanning the rough size of a swimming pool, lined up with rows and rows of empty trays. "Of course as you can see, no hydroponics farm has been set up yet."

"Wow. This place is huge." Buffy said as she looked around the large room. "From what I can see, we're seriously lacking in manpower to man even a few of the rooms on this ship. Science labs, Astrophysics labs, Internal Habitats spaces and now this..."

"Ahem, our main priority is stopping the Watcher's Council and the N.I.D cells. Crewing this big ship isn't exactly our main priority." Giles interrupted with a grimace.

"Aw... But Giles, a fully operational starship. Can you imagine what we can do with it?" Faith argued as she turned to look at him, speaking up from beside Buffy. "It's too bad we can't just go around hiring people to fill up this ship."

"Crewing the ship would not be a problem. Andromeda has a complement of 1150 smart androids created from the Master of Orion II technology. Each of the androids currently falls into four general classes. Android Scientists with programmed scientific skills and behaviours to manage the Science labs. Android Farmers to handle any matters dealing with food production, management of produce and crops. Android Workers to handle any industrial matters, from manufacturing products, to maintaining infrastructures. Specialised Android Engineers meanwhile handles ship to ship matters, including managing ship stations such as engineering bays and life support." Andromeda explained with a smile. "The only reason you do not see them around is that Xander has not yet given the orders for them to activate and take up their respective roles on the ship. They are still kept in storage in the Android hangers situated on each level of the ship."

"A thousand over androids to help man the ship..." Giles looked a bit disturbed. "These Androids wouldn't by chance be sentient would they?"

"No, they are not sentient. They are in a sense customised to achieve certain skills with tremendous results. There are also other highly customised Androids that were programmed with certain... uncommon skill sets in the Master of Orion II technology base... such as Androids Infiltrators. Xander however felt there is no need for those Android types on the ship for current time been." Andromeda revealed as she turned around. The door of the room opened and the holographic image of Andromeda moved out, motioning the small group to follow her. "Now, I'll bring you to the mess..."

The image of Andromeda who had been tilting her head, flickered and freeze for a moment, before the image came to live once more. She smiled as she saw their questioning looks.

"I have just received a communication. Xander has asked me to bring all of you back to the medical lab." Andromeda said as she pointed down the way they had came. "It appeared that he wish to do some tests. He needs all of you to be there."

"What sorts of tests does he want to do?" Willow asked curiously. She was still worried about what had happened to Xander.

"He would like to ascertain that all of you..." Andromeda paused for a while as if searching for appropriate words before continuing. "Are still human."

* * *

It was a nervous group that returned to the medical lab after Andromeda's announcement. Buffy was not sure what she should be feeling after hearing that Xander had suspicions he was not the only one altered into a non-human form. She still looks and feel human as did the others, but she could not help wondering if there was a reason for Xander's request. It had been a short walk back to the medical bay, so almost everyone had declined Andromeda's suggestion of her beaming them back to the lab. As Giles had stated, they still have their own two legs, and it is best if beaming is only reserved for emergencies.

Buffy was the first to enter the medical lab. It was a large room with a row of ten beds at one end, and a smaller room at one end. According to Andromeda when they had first come to the lab, the smaller room was meant to be an office for the doctor in charge of the medical lab. There was also a medical examination area filled with equipments and the two medical examination beds. Cordelia was standing beside Xander who had clothed himself in a plain white t-shirt and a denim jeans, but it was the troubled expression on her face that gave Buffy pause. Cordelia seldom looked troubled, at least not in the time that Buffy knew her.

"What's this about Xander?' Giles asked as the group filed into the room looking at Xander... who gave a grim twist of his mouth.

"After what happened to me, I've been pondering over the effects of the Halloween Spell and begin to think that we might have swallowed more than we could chew." Xander said grimly. "I asked Cordelia to be tested mostly to alleviate my worries, but we discovered something... disturbing..."

"I am only 73% human." Cordelia said darkly, her eyes burning.

"Cordelia only carrying 73% of the most common human gene markers to be exact." Xander explained to the shocked group. "The rest of the gene markers do not match up with anything on earth. It isn't an accelerated evolution of a human gene either. In fact it is so far from human gene types that it is most certainly alien. This gene change is what I suspect allows Cordelia to access her druidic powers, or nature source as she told me. I suspect that other than Giles who became a metahuman after the Halloween Spell, the rest of you possibly possessed some percentage of non-human genes. For all we know, there might be food or activities you could not consume or do without dire circumstances. We need to map out all of your genomes and run them run them through several medical simulations to ascertain that there will be no serious side effects."

"But maybe all druids are supposed to have that kind of strange gene structure. We don't have to assume the worst." Willow argued, a frown on her face as she looked at Xander.

"Willow, look at it this way. We do not know much about the limitations and consequences of the Halloween Spell. For all we know, instead of changing all of you into perfect replicas of your Halloween counterparts, it just _modified_ your body so that you can do something _similar_ to what your counterpart can do, as well as giving you their memories. Look at what happened to me... My point is, Superman is a full Kryptonian, but will Oz be similar? Or just some sort of Kryptonian/ Human hybrid after the Halloween spell? What are the consequences of this new gene structure? Add in his werewolf affliction..." Xander's dark silver eyes looked grimly at everyone. "That's what we need to find out. That's what we never thought about when we did the spell. We need to find out if we're exact replicas of our Halloween counterparts, or just some sort of in between with messed up genes that would end up with us having other physical limitations. Like being allergic to chocolate for example."

"Then it would probably be best to test me first." Oz said stepping forward, a serious look on his face. "We knew what I went as. If I still have human genes..."

"That would mean the Halloween Spell did not make a full transition." Xander completed Oz's statement with a nod. "And we need to find out what to expect. I need you to lie on one of the medical examination bed, Oz."

Giving a calm nod, Oz climbed onto the bed closest to him and lie down. Xander took up a medical tablet from a table and began pressing some orders, causing the medical bed to light up with a soft golden glow that dimmed after a while.

Xander looked at the results of the scan and sighed. "Oz is a human and alien hybrid. My suspicion is correct. The Halloween spell did not convert us fully into our costumed counterparts. Cordelia, Oz and maybe the rest of you guys might be some sort of in-between hybrids, or even something completely alien, bearing only similar powers of our Halloween counterparts."

Giles felt old and weary beyond his years as all of their results were displayed on the tablet in Xander's hands. Of the group, only Faith and himself were still fully human, albeit the fact that both of them were considered metahumans with evolved genes. The others...

"I'm sorry." Giles said wearily as he rubbed his hand over his face. "This is all my fault, if I had not pulled all of you in..."

"Don't say that Giles." Buffy said with a shake of her head. "We knew the risks and we took the chance."

"Buffy's right Giles." Xander said with the side. "I have no regrets that we took the chance, just that we did not think carefully of what might have happened. Anyway it is too late to worry right now. For all we knew the alien genomes that all of you possessed might be fully compatible with your human genome. There might not be any side effects. It'll take an hour for the medical simulations to run through all possible scenarios that might happened with the new genome maps, until then, I suggest that everyone take a break and use the ship's facilities before going back home. It's only three-thirty in the afternoon right now, we can decide what to do with the Watcher's Council and the N.I.D _tomorrow_ once everything has settled down."

"It's still afternoon?" Faith asked amazed. "After all that's happened, it felt like hours had passed. And to think we've only gotten our powers this morning."

"It certainly felt like a long time since then." Buffy said with a sigh. A thought struck her, causing her to freeze and turned to Xander wide-eyed. "Xander! How are you going to go home or even go to school when you look like this?"

"Andromeda did say I might be able to gain back my human appearance once I master how to manipulate my nanite body. But in the meantime if I need to go to town, I can always wear a holographic device to project a human appearance." Xander said with a shrug. "There's no need to worry about that. Now that I've Andromeda, I don't think I would be returning home much, I could always tell my parents that I have landed a decent job and am moving out. My father might be happier with that prospect. As for school... Buffy, I have close to 2000+ years of technological knowledge from various universes at my finger tips, with maybe the calculation abilities of millions of supercomputers... once I've figured out how my nanite body works and how to access it. What can I learn at school that can interest me?"

"But! But..." Buffy trailed off looking bewildered as to how to continue. She turned to Willow and Giles for help, but Giles just shook his head and gave a sigh.

"What else can you learn from school indeed." Giles said looking a bit haggard. "Xander, you are correct in a way, but school is more than just education, school is also a place where you can still socialise and be a teenager."

"Giles, I have the sixty-seven year old memories of a Cybran Commander." Xander revealed to Giles' shock. "I don't even _feel_ like a teenager now."

"But I thought Andromeda said the only changes were your organic nanite body..." Giles said looking at Xander wide-eyed.

"I did not inform Andromeda of everything when I created her. She has no idea about my additional memories when she made her hypothesis on my condition." Xander explained, pressing his silver lips together. "Her hypothesis is half correct. With only the Armored Command Unit costume acting as the focus of the Halloween spell, I was treated as part of the costume, turning into a creature made of organic nanites. However, the fact that I might be alive, with my own thoughts and desires, might have guided the Halloween spell to grant me the memories of a Cybran Commander, even though I wore no costumes to signify that link."

"Then it's not just the costumes that guided the spell." Giles said with growing horror.

"Our own intent and desire might have been used as a secondary focus for the spell. Now that I have time to think about it, it actually makes perfect sense. Without using our desires and intent, how would the Halloween spell decide what a costume represents in the first place?" Xander said with a grim look. "That's why I was so cautious once I discovered Cordelia's non-human genome. We've been very lucky that we've used the Halloween Spell blind and changes in our genomes are the most serious of alterations that might have happened to most of us."

"I never suspected or knew..." Giles said with a shudder and guilt flashed across his face. "But then chaos magic was always the wilder and most unpredictable of all magic types, I should have been aware of it, but I've just let Ethan's memories and emotions guide me... This can never happen again!"

"This is also one main reason why the Watcher's Council and the N.I.D must never get their hands on the completed spell." Xander said gravely. "Who knows what manners of horrors or chaos they would unleash with the spell."

"That's why we're here aren't we?" Faith broke the sombre air with a cocky grin. "I don't know about you, but I highly doubt they could stand against our combined powers and the technological might of Andromeda. In the meantime, who wants to join me in the holographic rooms? Andromeda was talking about holographic games during the tour..."

* * *

Oz watched as everyone scattered to explore the ship. Other then Faith who wanted to explore the holodeck, most had express the wish for some alone time as they deal with their Halloween counterpart's memories. Willow lingered at his side, but he could see the strained look in her eyes. She had been closed mouth about what kind of D&D Sorcerer she had became, and it was obvious she still need time to sort through her new memories and powers.

"Go." Oz told her with an understanding nod. "I need to talk with Xander about some stuff."

"Kryptonian stuff or more serious stuff?" Willow asked looking at him worriedly.

"Both." Oz said simply. Currently only Willow and Giles knew that the Superman that he had became was a younger version of Clark Kent, one who had lived in a town called Smallvale. While he still possessed Superman's incredible strength and speed, as well as other powers. He was noticeably lacking in the more technological aspect that the other versions of comic book Superman possessed.

It was something that Xander needed to know since his original idea was to have Oz act as a secondary support in the technological expertise of the group. But the second reason was that Oz was worried. The bomb shell that Xander had just dropped on them, added with the fact that they still have to take action against the Watcher's Council and the rogue N.I.D cells, meant that the group would have to make some tough decisions. Decisions that the girls with their black and white outlook of life might not agree to.

While Superman had a no killing policy, and Oz emulates Superman's powers and memories to a certain extent, his own pragmatic outlook to life enabled him to have no such qualms if it comes to protecting those he loved or to save innocents.

He had seen Xander whispering a few words to Cordelia before moving away from the rest of the group once they had stepped out of the medical lab. Giles had trailed after him shortly, most probably to ferret out if Xander had hidden any information from them.

"If you're sure you don't need me..." Willow hesitated, clearly troubled about whether she should stay with Oz or finds some quiet sport in Andromeda to think.

"I am sure. Don't worry, it's going to be just a short chat." Oz said reassuringly.

"Alright then. Come and find me when you're done." Willow said, giving a small smile and a nod.

Oz watched as Willow skipped down the corridors after Cordelia, Faith and Buffy before turning in the direction where Xander and Giles had went. Walking steadily down the corridor, Oz tracked the pair who was long gone from view by smell and hearing. The thick hulls of Andromeda were interfering with his X-ray visions, but it did not hamper Oz too much since he could rely on his other senses.

He stopped shortly outside one of the numerous silver grey doors and hovered his hand over the door panel to open it. The door slid apart to reveal what looked like a hangar of some sort, with numerous rows of egg shaped pods the size of a small man. Inside the pods, through the clear glass of the pod panels, Oz could see silver human shaped androids nestled within. Xander was standing in front of a console at the middle of the room, with Giles beside him, though it looked like the older man had interrupted Xander while he was in the midst of doing something else.

"... we can talk about this later. But you're right, we need to trash out a plan on how to deal with the Watcher's Council and the N.I.D. soon" Xander was saying before he turned around at the sound of the door closing and wave at Oz. "Good to see you buddy. I assume you and Giles are looking for me regarding the same purpose?"

"If it is about how we're going to deal with our opponents? Then yes. I don't want to say this in front of the girls, but we might have to make some unpleasant choices about how to make sure they will never use the Halloween Spell. The spell is just too dangerous a tool for its knowledge to spread." Oz said solemnly as he walked towards the two men, one a statue of gleaming silver, the other looking worn and tired.

"You mean you want to kill them." Giles stated simply before giving a sigh. "There might be no need for that if I can just wipe their minds."

Xander stared at Giles in shock. "If you were Professor Charles Xavier, I doubt he would even agree to use his powers in that way. That's going to be a lot of people whose minds are going to be altered."

"Charles is Charles, I on the other hand will make my own choices. And anyway, I think you under estimated what Charles would really do if those he loves were threatened." Giles said wearily. "Furthermore, I have no wish for any of your hands to be stained by human blood, even though those men or women might not be totally innocent in their deeds."

There was a moment of contemplative silence before Oz shifted his body, looking towards Giles.

"What you suggested is certainly another possible route. In fact it would probably solve most of our problems." Oz agreed as he looked at Giles with a hint of respect. "With Andromeda's transporter technology, once we have identified who those involved are, we could beam them up, drug them and let Giles mind wipe or implant false memories into their minds."

"And since I have a large technological base, I can simply create cloaked infiltrator bots to gain access to any of the N.I.D bases." Xander mused. "We virtually do not have to involve the girls at all."

"A pity we have no idea that the massive technological databases from the small starships would work beforehand." Giles said with a hint of regret on his face. "If so, there would not be a need for Buffy and the others to go through the Halloween Spell."

"We can't turn back time. And our new abilities might be a blessing in disguise even with our changed genomes." Xander said with a shrug. "In the meantime, I still have to activate all 1150 androids on Andromeda. It's high time this ship comes to full operations."

* * *

_Qara Moonstone_... Willow said the name softly in her mind, as she sat in the mess area on the floor she was in. She had gotten a cup of coffee to compliment a light lunch of turkey bacon and potatoes as she seat at one of the tables next to the port windows, allowing her a clear view of the desert below. The bright light of the afternoon sun streamed down on her as she contemplated who she had briefly become.

Qara, daughter of the headmaster of Neverwinter Magic Academy. A brash and arrogant young girl who views her abilities at much higher level than her peers. Which was true in a way, Qara was extremely powerful, resulting in her having trouble controlling the amount of power she has, which usually ends up causing more trouble for her. She had somehow ended up following a group of heroes to defeat the King of Shadows, a powerful entity who seeks the destruction of their world. But at the last moment, she had betrayed her companions, siding with Black Garius, a powerful Luskan mage and the leader of the cult of King of Shadows.

Qara had been seduced by the promise of incredible power that would be granted to her and had hardened her heart. She had used her most powerful spells against her once friends. Her last memories which had been passed to Willow was of Qara lethally injuring Khelgar Ironfist, a dwarven fighter, who used to be one of her closer companions...

Willow blinked away the shadows of memories with watery eyes. It had been horrifying to watch in her own head how a powerful young sorceress had been so easily swayed to the dark side. Yet Willow did not shy from those memories. Instead she was mentally reviewing each and every one of Qara's past actions, determined that she would not repeat the same mistakes in her own life. Even now, she could feel the surge of powerful magic within her, magic that could annihilate a small army. Willow was determined that she would never use her powers against Xander and the others in that way, not as Qara had done to those close to her.

"So that's where you were moping." Cordelia's dry voice cut through her thoughts as she walked in. "You have a seemingly constipated look on your face. It's certainly not doing your image any good."

"I was just thinking." Willow shot back in irritation. Cordelia and her were like oil and fire. Though Willow now tolerated her because she was Xander's girlfriend and occasional helper of the group, the grudge between the two which had started back from their childhood could not be overcome easily.

"There seemed to be a lot of that going around right now." Cordelia said rolling her eyes as she made her way to the replicator machine at the far end of the mess area. "I just walked passed Buffy who had her head in the clouds, sitting like a zombie in the longue. She didn't even notice me."

"That's a surprise. Your very presence could wake the dead, or send them running." Willow said glowering at Cordelia, annoyed that her personal thinking time was interrupted.

"Very funny Rosenberg." Cordelia said as she inputted some commands into the replicator machine. There was a flash of light and then Cordelia grabbed hold of a tray of food that had appeared, beginning to walk towards the table Willow was seated at.

Willow closed her eyes with dread. Somehow, someway, Cordelia was doing more than intruding on her personal time out and seemed determined as hell to force herself into Willow's personal space. Cordelia settled down in the seat opposite Willow, placing down her tray before giving Willow a frank look.

"So what were you thinking about?" Cordelia asked, her eyes observing Willow.

For a moment, Willow considered telling Cordelia it was none of her business. But then Cordelia _was_ trying to be civil, if the bitch queen could do civil, then so could Willow. Never let it be said that Willow was the lesser women. Besides, she certainly did not want Xander to have a tarnished image of her if Cordelia complained to him.

"Just thinking about my Halloween spell counterpart." Willow said simply as she concentrated on finishing her food so that she could walk out of the place faster.

"Oh who was she? My Druid counterpart knew of a few sorcerers in her time." Cordelia asked with a look of interest in her eyes. "Though Elynia Goldthorn was a bit of a recluse. She's a nature fanatic, filling her time with tending Loyren Grove not far from the city of Waterdeep. It did help hone her powers to ridiculously high level."

"Oh." Willow said, surprised that Cordelia was even willing to share whose memories and powers she had inherited. "My counterpart was Qara Moonstone..."

Cordelia's eyes softened as she looked at Willow in suddenly understanding. "The daughter of the headmaster of Neverwinter Magic Academy. I... that is Elynia heard rumours she was one of the heroes who were killed fighting against the King of Shadows. Elynia don't know her personally, but for a time, the bards were all singing about the great battle. Did you have the whole batch of memories including her dying?"

"What?" Willow asked in shock looking at Cordelia. The Qara in her memories was most certainly a traitor, surely even if Qara's companions won the battle, they would not have covered up her actions? Even now, reviewing Qara's memories, she could see the betrayed looks on Qara's companions' eyes as she turned her spells against them. "Cordelia... why don't you tell me what your counterpart knew about the battle against the King of Shadows?"

Something does not _seemed_ right...

* * *

Gigabytes of data bounced off the satellites hovering over Earth in a constant undetected stream as Andromeda hacked into Earth's internet system, pouring over every last byte of data that the internet possessed, as well as all of the data in the computers connected to the network. She was doing this on her own initiative. Now programmed to be loyal to Xander and the others, she was determined to make the accomplishing of their goals much more easier, by doing some information gathering. Especially since Xander had modified her original behaviour matrix, making her more independent in making her own decisions.

Hacking into the United State government's mainframe, Andromeda began a rapid search for all data concerning the N.I.D... nanoseconds passed as Andromeda paused at a large chunk of data concerning a Stargate Command?...

"Oh my." Andromeda said in surprise within her data matrix as she poured over the data. Her understanding of this world was based on the information Xander had passed her, as well as data gleamed from the internet. During her search in the World Wide Web, she had not come across any hard evidence of alien life forms on this planet until now...

Andromeda sent a silent command to route some of her sub-routines to focus on finding more data for this Stargate Command, while she focused on the N.I.D. It was only half an hour later when one of her sub-routines pinged her. Data found regarding Stargate Command had been surprisingly little even in the government servers. Finding out the location of Stargate Command itself had been easy, but it was no help as the place utilised a closed network system which was not connected to the internet. Their luck had turned around when one of the sub-routine had found a computer belonging to Senator Robert Kinsey connected to the internet which contained a large archive of Stargate Command's mission files and N.I.D. Black ops files. From the data obtained, it seemed that Senator Kinsey had come by most of the Stargate Command mission files quite illegally.

It took another half an hour for Andromeda to download the files into herself, due to the latency of Earth's satellites and Senator Kinsey's computer system. Another five minutes was taken for Andromeda to digest the contents and...

"Seems like we have a problem." Andromeda said grimly as she pinned down the location of Xander and sent a hologram in the image of herself to inform him of what she had found. Andromeda then sent a command to her engines as she gently propel herself into space, careful to make sure that the cloak engines were functioning without any issues. A second command sent through her command matrix caused the ship's sensors to activate as powerful passive scans began to wash over Earth's surface.

As she sent herself into orbit around the planet while scanning it, Andromeda began to receive more and more abnormal pings of data, regarding alien objects and structures that should not be there in the first place.

"Xander's not going to be happy when he hears about this." Andromeda said to herself as she reviewed her scan data.

The people of Earth were not alone. In fact they might not even be the first sentient beings to evolve on the planet.

And the Aliens are out there...

* * *

**Author's Note:** When I was creating the Druid and Cleric counterparts for Cordelia and Buffy, I was more interested in both girls having Druid and Cleric spells instead of researching a proper counterpart for them. So yes, both their counterparts are OC characters and would not play any major part in the story other than to provide some back story.

Qara on the other hand was from the PC game Neverwinters Night 2. Near the end of the game she'll either turn bad or stay with you, but either way she'll still die. _(If what I got from Wikipedia is correct, I never completed the game) _I thought her character is quite suitable to be some sort of anti-role model for Willow. Who knows? Maybe Willow might actually be more cautious in using magic.

_Ps._ Regarding the Androids, Master of Orions II actually only have three types of Android citizens. Android Scientists, Famers and Workers. But I was thinking, if they could have Androids specialising in these fields, then it probably makes sense to apply Androids in other fields of operations. So yes, Android Engineers and Infiltrators are OC add-ons of mine in this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Story Title: The Halloween Spell**

**Crossover:** Multiple

**Author:** Wraithrune

**Disclaimer:** This is a crossover fanfiction. The rights for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Star Wars, Andromeda, Master of Orion II, Space Empires V, Dungeons and Dragons, Stargate, Supreme Commander, Final Fantasy Tactics, Heroes of Might and Magic series, Green Lanterns and Superman belongs to their respective owners. I am just a fan dabbling in creating an alternate playground for their existence.

**Summary:** After Halloween night, Ethan was captured by the N.I.D who forced him to create a permanent Halloween spell which they can exploit. With the world's fate in his hands, Ethan did the right thing for once in his life, and the world will never be the same again.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Keeping the Balance**

_In the Deeper Wells, where the Elder Demons remained sealed..._

He stirred slowly... as he quietly began to gather back his strength. Not the titanic strength and magic he used to possess, but a mere pitance, only able to slightly open his eye lids... to see a never ending darkness.

But even though his vision was useless, he knew where he was. Just as his strength was returning, so was his magical essence. Even now, he could sense that he was in some kind of stone sarcophagi, a mystic sarcophagi that was somehow constantly draining away his strength and essence, trying to lull him back to an eternal sleep.

But he would not be denied, holding on tenaciously to the tiny flare of power that still remained within him. Somehow he had awakened, and he would no longer be content with being sealed in this mystical prison.

Even now, with his rapidly expanding magical senses, he could sense others of his kind, the planewalkers that used to be allied with him, lying in other stone sarcophagi nearby, forever sealed in eternal sleep. His last memory had been of his kind waging a fierce war against the mortals who called themselves the Alterans. The planewalkers had been winning the war, he was sure of it, especially after they had unleashed the mystical plague on the mortals... But now, he was trapped here, having no idea of what had happened that caused him to end up here.

However he knew one thing, He, Kronos, the most powerful planewalkers of his time, would find a way free of this prison and unleash vengence upon those that had sealed him away...

* * *

_One hour before..._

"So you are able to create a holograhic environment based on my memories?" Faith asked carefully as the hologram of Andromeda appeared beside her, preparing to assist her. Faith had requested Andromeda's aid minutes after she had entered the holographic room and discovered she had no idea how to operate the damn thing.

"Yes, the races of Master of Orion II suceed in mapping the nerual pathways of several sentient beings, humans being one of them. I foresee no problems using the neural scanner to recreate a holographic environment based on your memories." Andromeda reassured her as she gestured to the panel besides the door of the holographic room, which had opened up to reveal a small rectangle space. The small space contained two devices, both of which looked very much like plastic head bands. "Just place one of the neural scanners around your head and initiate scanning, the A.I. controlling the holographic room will do the rest."

"This room is controlled by a different A.I.?" Faith asked curiously, looking around the empty dome shaped room that was the size of a school classroom. The place could probably fit thirty people standing, and still have space for a bit more.

"The original Andromeda Ascendant, or rather the people from her universe never developed holographic technologies to as fine a degree as those in Master of Orion II or Star Trek." Andromeda explained, turning to face Faith. "As such when Xander created the holographic room, it is isolated from the rest of the ship's mainframe, powered by its own power source. An A.I. was created just for the purpose of maintaining this room, as well as several others similar to it on the ship. It is simply to ensure the ship runs more efficiently. I'll however be at hand to render assistance at anytime."

"Okay, that's cool with me. So when do I meet this A.I.?" Faith asked with a grin.

Faith instantly jumped backwards in surprise as a cascade of lights formed into the figure of a tall young brunette, who was smiling at her. The new holographic figure was dressed in black skin tight jumpsuit that showed off a lot of her figure and cleavage.

"I am Lilith. A.I. in charge of the holographic rooms on board Andromeda. And I serve to make your dreams come true." Lilith said with an enticing smile.

"Lilith's A.I. matrix is a bit... simpler than mine." Andromeda said with what seemed like a forced smile. "But Xander programmed her to be able to attend to all the needs of users using the holographic rooms, so there's no need to worry about her capabilities. I'll leave you now in her care, if you need to contact me, just give me a call."

There was a soft chim of lights as the hologram of Andromeda disappeared.

"Ah that stuffy bat's gone at last." Lilith said as the last motes of holographic lights disappeared. Lilith wrapped her right arm around Faith's shoulder startling her.

"You're solid!" Faith said in shock. She could literally feel the weight of Lilith's arm around her.

"Ah yes. That's because you _are_ in a holographic room. Unlike the normal holographic emitters installed at all levels of Andromeda, the emitters in the holographic rooms allows for solid holographic projection." Lilith chortled with a tinkering laugh. "Come now my girl. Don't you want to try out this room? I can bring all your fantasy to life."

Faith chuckled as she picked up the neural scanner and placed it on her head. "Cordelia's going to burst a blood vessel if she knew Xander was the one that created you. In the meantime, I've a memory I want to replicate in a holographic projection. Andromeda said to place this neural scanner thing on my head. What do I do next?"

"Just concentrate on the memory and I'll do the rest." Lilith said, giving Faith a mischievious smile.

Faith nodded and concentrated, bring up her memories. Not her own memories of course, Faith never had much memories worth reliving in the holographic room. Except during the time when Dara, her first Watcher had found her... But her counterpart, the one that she had momentarily became through the Halloween spell, one Rapha Galthena, had some treasured memories of her brother and her companions.

Rapha Galthena never had an easy life. She possesses a very rare ability called Sky Mantra, which along with her brother Marach's Nether Mantra was coveted and exploited by Grand Duke Barrington of Riovanes. Enslaved, she later freed herself and her brother by joining up with one Ramza Beoulve to save the kingdom of Ivalice from powerful demons.

Though the journey had been tough, the friendships she had gained through the numerous battles against all odds, had bonded the group of guerilla fighters. Though the group was condemned by the people of Ivalice, they ended up becoming their saviours.

Light streamed in the holographic room, and Faith found herself looking at a scene of battle, over a grass plain, where Rapha and her friends were battling against a horde of Bombs, fire elemental monsters that could self destruct. Sounds of shouts and fighting blasted out in the holographic room. Faith looked on at the scene brought to life from her memories. Even as she watched the tightly knit group defend each other against the monsters, Faith felt a watery gleam crossed her eyes.

Perhaps, one day, she would be as close with her present companions as Rapha was to hers. Right now she felt more like an extra tag along, the backup Slayer that joined Buffy's group. She had to admit, there were days since she came to Sunnydale, when she was simply cosumed with jealousy over what Buffy had. But that was a mote point now. The group, at least Giles, was willing to accept her as part of them, by letting her join this new mission of theirs.

Faith looked down, summoning crackles of white lightning to her hands as she called to her Sky Mantra magic, the magic belonging to Rapha. Xander's intention for Faith had been for her to gain the powers of a Monk from the Final Fantasy Tactics game. Faith had certainly gotten the Monk powers and skills, with involved power chakra skills that could heal wounds and revive the recently dead. Because Rapha had been more than just the last female survivor of the Galthana clan, inheritor of the Sky Mantra magic. She had also been trained as an exceptional Monk.

"So Lilith. You say the holograms are solid. How much punishment do you think they can take?" Faith asked with a grin, even as she rushed forward to defeat the holographic monsters.

* * *

_Present time_

Xander looked down at the console in satisfaction. The display of statistics seemed normal. In the past hour, Xander had activated all of the Androids on board Andromeda while monitoring their status closely to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Giles and Oz had long retreated from the Android Hangar. Giles had mentioned that he was going to find something to eat while Oz had left to look for Willow.

"Xander." A stream of lights announced the arrival of Andromeda even as her voice came out of the local speakers first.

Xander looked up from the console he was monitoring to see a worried frown on Andromeda's holographic image.

"What happened Andromeda?" Xander asked looking at the A.I.

"I've been doing some research about the N.I.D, and have located some interesting information from various network sources." Andromeda revealed. "It seemed that the U.S. Government had a group of people handling extraterrestial travels."

"What!" Xander exclaimed in shock, looking at Andromeda in disbelief. "What are the information you've found? Give me a few minutes to get into my Armored Command Unit before you show me."

"If I can have your permission, I'll like to try something." Andromeda said hesistantly. "Since you are basically a nanite being, it might be possible for me to wirelessly transmit the large chunks of information into your nanites. That might allow you to digest the information more easily."

Xander pursed his lips before nodding. He would have to deal with his new body sooner or later. It might be better that he find out what his body could do now rather than later.

"Very well. I'm ready." Xander said standing rigidly in front of Andromeda. For a moment, nothing happened. Then he felt a strange sensation as if something was caressing his body. Instinctively, Xander 'reached' out towards the sensation and suddenly, he was 'connected' to Andromeda's external ship matrix.

"_Passing you the data." _Andromeda's voice resounded in his head. And then information exploded in his head.

_**Top Secret**_

_**Stargate Command Overview**_

_Stargate Command (abbreviated to SGC) is a top-secret United States Air Force military organization tasked with operating the Stargate device and all matters pertaining to things offworld, such as threats to Earth or missions to procure new technology from extraterrestrial civilizations. It is based inside the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado, codenamed "Area 52"..._

_... an archaeological dig in Giza, Egypt in 1928, where Professor Paul Langford discovers an artifact, a large metal ring with symbols all along the edge with nine chevrons, that has been protected by coverstones..._

_... Dr. Jackson finds the translation of the hieroglyphs on the inner tract ias "door to heaven". Later discovered to mean "Stargate." ..._

_... Dr. Jackson discover the point of origin for the Stargate... gate is activated, wormhole established to another planet..._

_... On the planet known as Abydos, the Stargate team encounterd the Goa'uld Ra.. battle when Ra attempt to enslave them..._

_... Goa'uld Ra destroyed... Later discovered that the Stargate leads to multiple planets instead of just one planet after Goa'uld Apophis attacked..._

_... Formation of the Stargate Command..._

_**Mission Report 01290**_

_Samatha Carter_

_... On planet P3X-774 SG-1 was tasked with locating a being with ability to appear and disappear at will..._

_... Later discovered that P3X-774 was the homeworld for the Nox a seemingly primitive yet advanced people that are pacifists in nature... powerful healing abilities... cloaking abilities... large advanced floating city..._

_... encounter with Apophis and his Jaffa who were also after the Nox... managed to turn them back to the gate..._

_... Nox returned SG-1 to the stargate... Nox stargate presumed to be buried after SG-1 left..._

...

...

_**Top Secret**_

_**National Information Department Overview**_

_National Information Department_

_... National Information Department (abbreviated to N.I.D) is a top-secret United States Information..._

_**Mission Report 12324**_

_Col Matt Wilson_

_... under orders to form a research and investigative unit on sub-terrestials... primarily scouting of Sunnydale as prospective base completed..._

_... Initiative program given green light... orders to begin secretly building the base under a frat house... Two year duration construction project..._

_Headhunting possible research candiates for project..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

Hundreds of documentations in digital form flooded Xander's mind. A lot of them pertaining to the Stargate Command, while there were also a quite a handful on the N.I.D.

Knowledge of the Stargate Command, the Stargate device which allows wormhole travel to other planets, the Alliance of Four great races which the Nox, Alterans and the Asgards are part of, the mysterious Alterans who built the stargate and disappeared, the Goa'ulds who were parasitic aliens that took over human bodies, the Tok'ras who were Goa'ulds that refused to forcefully take over human bodies...

Then there was also knowledge of the N.I.D cells scattered around the country, their various missions, even one of their budding program, something called the Initiative that was supposed to take place in Sunnydale.

The heady sensation of processing the large chunks of information in just a few nano seconds caused Xander to loss control of his sight and other basic senses. For a moment, he was lost, swimming in data, in fact he _was_ data... Then with a snap, he was back in the Andriod Hangar, Andromeda standing worriedly beside him.

"Wow. That was something different..." Xander said shaking his head even as he tried to deal with all the information at the same time. "Well first thing first, we need to inform the others. The Stargate Command is interesting and all, but the data on the N.I.D takes precedance. Currently Stargate Command seemed to be taking care of the alien threats admirably, which means we might not have to take direct actions. However, with what you've gotten on the N.I.D, we already have the location for three of the rogue cells that are doing research on the Halloween Spell. We can..."

"A moment please." Andromeda suddenly interrupted, a frown on her face. "My mainframe just got back to me. I've been running scans over the surface of Earth on my own initiative after learning of Stargate Command. It seemed that the problems with aliens might be closer to home then you might think."

"Show me the data." Xander said bracing himself.

* * *

Giles stepped into the command deck to find that Xander and the others were already gathered before him. In fact looking through the viewing screens of the command deck, he was shocked to see the blackness of space, and a large rotating planet that looks like Earth, instead of a desert view.

"I must say Xander, I came as soon as I got Andromeda's message. But what matter was so urgent? And why are we in space?" Giles inquired looking at Xander's face which showed a grimace.

"We are in space because Andromeda had discovered something which she needed to confirm. Since we're all here, I'll tell all of you what Andromeda had discovered while snooping around government servers as well as scanning Earth." Xander said, turning to look at Buffy and the others who were looking at him curiously. "Aliens are real. In fact our government has a department called the Stargate Command that deals with travelling to other planets via a wormhole device."

"What!" Willow and Buffy exclaimed in shock. Cordelia just stared at him with mouth agape, while Faith just give a smirk.

"Always knew the stories about the Roswell Greys were true." Faith said with a grin.

"Well... I'm not sure about the Roswell Greys, but there's a group of aliens called the Asgards who looked like them. So I guess that's where all the urban legends started. You can find a copy of all the information Andromeda found in the communication consoles at each of your assigned rooms. Andromeda can show you where those rooms are later." Xander said looking at Giles who looked like he was having a headache. "What's more important is that it seemed that the existance of aliens is more deeply ingrained in Earth than anyone, even Stargate Command had thought."

The large screen in front of the command deck flickered to an image of what looked like a map of Earth, with several red blinking dots highlighted at certain locations of the map.

"This is a prelimary scan result of Earth's surface." Xander said gesturing to the map. "Basically what Andromeda did was a passive scan of Earth's surface for any noticeable power source. After isolating the man made ones. Imagine our surprise when we found... let's see, 12 unknown types of starships, maybe the size of a scout or frigate hidden just in Eygpt alone, under sand or pyramids, 1 alien base in Antartica, 1 submerged city in the Bermuda Triangle... and various others."

"Oh!" Willow said in excitement. "So there are aliens living among us right now?"

"Most probably. Though from what I could tell from the scans, the starships, base and city located has not been accessed for the past few hundred years." Xander said to the visible exicitment of Willow and Faith. "I'll need a more detailed scan from Andromeda to check if we've any aliens hidden in Earth's population, which would take a while. Especially considering the fact that we can't use our more powerful scanning devices which would disrupt communications worldwide. Human technologies as of current time, has no protection against the energy wave emitted during an active scan from us. We'll have to limit the power of our scans."

"So what are we going to do about these information?" Oz asked, a picture of calm beside the excitable Willow. "We've still got the N.I.D and Watcher's Council on our plate."

"Well, I've been thinking. With our current powers and technological edge, we can deal with the N.I.D and Watcher's Council with just a small team, maybe 2-3 of us, assisted by Andriods. In fact, I think Giles should head the team that deals with N.I.D and the Council, while I back him up. We've discussed a bit, and Giles had some ideas about what to do with them" Xander revealed, looking at the girls, since other than Oz, they had no idea what he was talking about.

"In the meantime, I was thinking of having a second team keep an eye on any foreseeable alien problems, as well as salvaging what the aliens had left behind, so we can find out what's going on in the intergalactic scene." Xander said turning to look at Oz. "I was thinking of heading this team together with Oz's help since it's more of a salvage and research operation. The rest of you are welcomed to join us."

"But Xander, I've told you that the Superman I've become is not familiar with alien technological knowledge." Oz interrupted with a frown.

"Yes I am aware of that. But I've a solution to the technological problems, for all of you." Xander said, taking out a small bottle which contains what looks like pills from his pocket. "Andromeda has finished compiling the genome results. Overall it seemed positive, though there is one potential problem we've found. I'll tell all of you the results first before revealing my proposed solutions. Oz, it seemed that silver is deadly to you, in fact even more deadly to you than your werewolf counter part. Computated simulations of your genome revealed that skin contact with a bit of silver could lead to you having severe allergic reactions, silver within you would most probably kill you."

"Great." Oz said sacarsm heavy in his voice. "So instead of Kryptonite, I'm allergic to silver."

"I can think of several work arounds to this problem." Xander said in reassurance. "One involves the use of an adaptive forcefield that only activates when silver is near. That might protect you from the silver weaknes. Thankfully, for the rest of you, though you might not be 100% human now, the change in genome structures does not seemed to have any major side effects."

"I guess we should be thankful for small favors." Cordelia said grimly.

"That's one way of putting it." Xander said with a nod. "To continue what I was going to say, I have a solution for our technological problems. The genome tests revealed one thing. All of your nerual pathways are still human or close to human in nature. This bottle of pills in my hand actually contains artificial implants, each of them able to store up to 950 zettabytes of data. It comes with a smart A.I. and is able to enhance your currently capacity of knowledge by a lot."

"You want us to put A.I. implants in our head?" Buffy asked, looking at the bottle of pills doubtfully.

"Yes, I've already copied the basic technological knowledge needed to operate the devices on this ship into the implants. I've also inputted basic science and maths of the Andromeda verse." Xander explained, noting that Buffy and Giles in particular seemed reluctant to try out the idea. "What you do with the rest of the space in the implant is up to you. You can store the scientific theories of maybe Star Trek and Master of Orion II for instance, that would help if you're researching something like the alien starships we're planning to salvage. Or you can wipe out the data and fill your implants with First Contact protocols if we're in a situation that need us to seek out an alien race. Alternatively, you can also forgo the implants and learn things the hard way. This is just a solution to speed things up."

"Well I'm in." Faith said instantly. "It certainly beats having to ask Andromeda for help with every little thing on this ship."

"Me too." Willow said, looking particularly giddy at the thought of so much knowledge at her finger tips.

"I don't have much choice do I? I don't want to be the only idiot around a bunch of super smart people." Buffy said unwillingly.

"The implants don't actually increase our intelligence, it just increase our capacity for knowledge." Xander tried to explain. "Though I guess those two factors are so closely inter-linked that it wouldn't make much difference."

"What do we need to do then?" Giles conceeded with a sigh, seeing no way out of it.

"Just take a pill and swallow. The A.I. implant in the pill will do the rest." Xander said handing the bottle to Giles. "In the meantime, since we're not starting operations yet. How many of you want to join me in inspecting those alien ships. I'm am having Andromeda beam up the smaller ships into the hangar bays even as we speak. The bigger ships... well, I guess we'll have to get hold of them the hard way."

"You really have to ask?" Faith said with a grin as she pop a pill into her mouth. "I'm in. I want to see what those alien ships really looked like."

* * *

"Foolish Children. They knew not what they have done." The Elder said, as the Ascended gathered in the Energy plane, circling around the energy mirror that reflects the going ons on the physical plane. The mirror was particularly focused on a small group of humans in one of the most advanced starship in the Milky Way galaxy.

Orlin shivered, still in his energy form, a globe of white hot energy that resembles a squid, like many of the other Ascended. But The Others were different. First races of the Ascended, their energy forms resembled that of a whale, dwarfing over the forms of the other Ascended, most of whom were from the race that called themselves the Alterans in their mortal lives. The Elder in particular, the First of The Others, looked like a whale shaped cruiser sized starship. And it occupied much of the energy plane they were currently in.

"Their action, that one quantum manipulation of such chaotic nature, had disrupted the veils between realities. The amount of chaotic energies tied to their living core weakens the veils even further." One of The Others said, its voice audiable to all the millions over Ascended gathered. "Even now, the planewalker that called itself The First Evil, is prowling around the weakness in the veils."

"That punitive planewalker is no match against even one of The Others, or several of the Ascended." The Elder intoned dismissively.

"But the mortals are no match against it! We might be immune to its manipulations but..." One of the Ascended, most probably an Alteran in his previous life, spoke up but was silenced by a blast of energy from The Elder.

"SILENCE Janus. We Ascended have sworn to maintain the Balance in the parts of the galaxies that we occupied. We are however not protectors or nursemaids for the mortal races." The Elder said angrily. "Those mortals have made their mistakes, by letting The First Evil have a chance to enter. That's _their_ mistake, they would have to deal with it should the planewalker managed to cross over here. We would however be here to righten the Balance at the end, should there be a need."

"You can't be serious!" The Ascended named Janus continued to argue. "This is the same thing like what happened with the Quantum Mirrors all over again! You're not going to act until millions have died, until the Balance had been shifted so far into the other side that it's not going to matter much in the end when we righten it!"

"Already a few thousand years since you've Ascended and you still remained impetenous. You have great power Janus, that's the only reason you're tolerated, do not attempt to go against the rules or you'll be descended." The Elder said calmly before continuing. "However that's not why we are gathered here today. The Children who had wrought the quantum manipulation on themselves are now the epitome of Chaos, which needed to be Balanced out. Their pressence weakened the veils of reality. I fear not The First Evil, but should the veils continued to deteriorate, we might get more than just planewalkers crossing the veils, we might get a creature of the Abyss."

Orlin shivered. The Abyss was a plane of existance far below the physical and energy plane, and the creatures living within that plane of existance supposedly treat Ascended as their meal time treats. Creatures of the Abyss were on a whole different level of power as the mortals were to the Ascended.

"We need to infuse an equal amount of Order into the physical plane than." One of the gathered Ascended remarked. "Which object should we use? Perhaps the doorway of the Deeper Wells?"

"No, we'll use this." The Elder said. The energy mirror flickered and show the interior of a vehicle, where seven glowing rings, lanterns and a glowing power core sat on the floor. "These artifacts are one of those created by those Children through their quantum manipulation. They hold great power, and should act as a Balance against them. Janus, you argued for the mortals to be saved? Then I give you your chance."

"What do you mean?" The Ascended Janus asked in a more subduced tone of voice.

Around Orlin, the other Ascended kept quiet, it was obvious that The Elder had manevoured Janus into doing something it must have intended for him all along. But none there to speak up, at least not in the pressence of so many of The Others.

"There must be a Balance. As there are now seven living epitome of Chaos running around in the mortal plane, so there shall be seven epitome of Order to Balance them. This will cancel out their individual energies and stop the detoriation on the reality veils." The Elder replied. "If you so wish, you shall return to your mortal form as one of the seven and be in charge of the other six. Using the seven ring artifacts, you will be granted powers enough to act against those chaotic children if they fall out of line. And of course, those rings would grant you much needed power against The First Evil should she cross over."

"You are asking me to descend." Janus said incredulously.

"Temporarily of course, until the crisis is over." The Elder said calmly. "We will Ascend you back to the Energy plane when all of this is over. Unless you choose not to do it?"

Orlin grimanced. It was obvious what The Elder was doing. Janus was probably the most vocal against the actions of The Others, and now they were sending him away to certain death. The Elder's promise of re-Ascending Janus once the crisis was over was highly suspect. Even if The Elder did keep its promise, it already ensured that Janus would be gone from the Energy plane for an unknown period of time. Effectively silencing the more powerful and more vocal of the gathered Ascended. Part of him wanted to speak up, but the wiser part knew that he could also suffer the same fate.

"Very well, I will do it." Janus said after a pause. There was hardly anyway out for him. He was the one that called The Others to do something about The First Evil. Now he was given a choice to do something about it, if he did not do it, he would effectively be a hypocrite, whose words would mean little among the other Ascended in future.

"Good. There is however one clause. Once you've descended and regain mortal form, much of your Ascended memories will be wiped away. You'll only retain memories of the threat of The First Evil and the need to Balance out those chaotic Children, as well as the memories of your mortal life. Of course, you'll also be given knowledge of how to use the rings. We've altered the rings with individual traits, so knowledge of how to use them is crucial."

"Very well. I am prepared." Janus replied, calmly accepting his fate.

"Then it shall be." The Elder said.

Orlin could only watch in horror as the massive energies of The Elder wrapped around Janus' energy form which... vanished... having descended. Somewhere in the physical plane, Janus probably regained back mortal form.

"Now, let's move on to the more important things." The Elder said turning to Orlin, as if the descension of Janus was but a small matter. "The choatic quantum manipulation attempted by those children had... changed one of us, namely Orlin. The quantum manipulation had tied him to a mortal. Allowing her access over his energies, as well as allowing him control over her. This would make for interesting observations as to how our Ascended energy forms worked..."

* * *

A streak of light fell across the sky. There was a loud thub as something fell into the Amazon Basin, the thick forested area, and created a small crater within it.

If anyone had been watching, they would have seen a naked brown haired man getting up groggily, seven green rings, lanterns and a power core by his side.

"The First Evil's coming." Janus said to himself as he tried to sort through his jumbled memories. He knew he had descended, but not why he did it. However the memory about the planewalker gave him his clue. There was a flash a starship... and then he saw seven humans, most are teenagers while one was an adult. "Chaos... dangerous, I need to... counter them?"

Janus felt a sense of confusion descending upon him. What was so dangerous about those innocent looking teenagers? Looking down, he saw the green rings beside him, and instantly knowledge about them flood into his mind.

"Rings of Order, to Balance the Chaos." Janus said, trying to dig out somemore memories from his dazzled brian.

One of the ring choosed this moment to float up, eye level with him. Janus took it and put it on his right ring finger.

"Janus Ambrusia recognised as ring owner." The ring said, startling Janus.

"Ring owner." Janus mused, looking at the other rings. He was quite sure the other rings needed to be distribued to other people as well. "Who do the rest of the rings belong to?"

"Ring bearers for other rings are not yet selected." The ring on his finger revealed. "Awaiting your orders."

"My orders ehh?" Janus said in amusement. "Why the first thing is to find some clothes and some place to stay."

He tried to search his mind for any important information. He knew he was in Terra, the current timeline was around a thousand years since he ascended, which meant that there are very few places of his people still standing... except...

"Olympus." Janus breathe as he remembered. The legendary Alteran city ship hidden in thick mountain ranges. The one that was abandoned thousands over years ago during the great plague. Before the Alterans had fled to another galaxy. It was also the city ship that later became the temporarily home of the Alterans who had returned to Terra, before they Ascended.

Janus looked at the ring on his finger. He had knowledge of how to use it and what it can do so he... Green light flared from the ring as Janus willed a green suit around his body. A globe of green light than encased the other rings, lanterns and power core on the ground as Janus began to fly into the air.

He knew where to go now. And then he would find new ring bearers to help save the world from The First Evil... and maybe those humans that his memories had labelled dangerous.

* * *

_Edit 1_

**Author's Note: **Apologies for any spelling mistakes. My Microsoft office just expired . and I am using Openoffice. The problem is the spell check doesn't seemed to be working for me. So I have to do it the hard way by proof reading a few times, but I am pretty sure there are still mistakes hidden within. _(My spelling is not very good by the way.)_

So if any of you spot any errors, drop me a message and let me know. Thank you!

ps. For those of you that watched Stargate Atlantis, I've always like Janus even though he only appeared a short while in one episode. He's one of the most sympathetic Alteran I've seen throughout the show. And he played a critical role in ensuring that the whole Stargate Atlantis crew survived their trip to Atlantis during the time travel episode.


End file.
